


Elephants Drawings

by thanksgodforgravity



Category: Sense8 (TV)
Genre: F/M, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I love them so much, One Night Stands, Single Parents, in every uniiverse, non-sensate au, single mom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-07-03 13:43:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 36,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15820053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thanksgodforgravity/pseuds/thanksgodforgravity
Summary: Kala Dandekar is a divorced, single mother by the age of 26; on the night of her birthday she decides to have her very first one-night stand, thinking she will never see the man again.Unfortunately for both of them, feelings get involved and Kala has to decide if she should let him be part of her young son's life.





	1. The Perfect Birthday Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kala is a single mother and on her 26th birthday she decides to have fun for the first time in years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story started as a multi-chaptered fic, then it became a one shot I had no intention to post, and now it's a short story.
> 
> I'm sorry if the beginning is confusing, I tried to tell you about four years of Kala's life in a few pages so I understand if it's a bit messy.
> 
> I want to thank my friend Laura for encouraging me to post this, if it wasn't for her this story would have stayed in my drafts. 
> 
> Also, English is not my first language so I apologize for any mistake!

Their story started with a one-night stand.

 

Kala Dandekar wanted to celebrate her 26th birthday in the best way possible; after everything she had been through for four years and after trying to survive on her own for two, she thought she deserved one night of pure fun and that's why she had initially accepted her best friend's idea of clubbing all night.

 

As her birthday approached, however, she had started to change her mind and she had to stop herself from canceling her plans. 

"You deserve it, Kala. You deserve to celebrate yourself after everything you had to endure." Daniela had reminded her and she knew she was right.

 

 

 

For years, Kala had to deal with a bitter divorce and the consequences of it, which had been even worse than the divorce itself.

 

Her ex husband, Sanjay Kahtri, had once been the best man she had ever met; they had met when she was only nineteen years old, when she was just an university student, and he had charmed her with his bright smile and his shining brown eyes, with his childlike laugh and his sweet words he had made her feel like the luckiest woman in the world.

And when he had proposed to her after only seven months of dating, she had accepted - blinded by the genuine affection she had mistaken for love and by her family’s enthusiastic approval.

 

They had gotten married on August 2008, shortly after her twentieth birthday, and seventeen months later they had welcomed their son into the world.

 

Aditya had been the greatest blessing God could have given to Kala; she hadn’t been overly excited by the idea of becoming a mother and the feeling hadn’t changed during her months of pregnancy, she had constantly wondered how could she manage to be a mother at such a young age, “You will learn.” her mother had said to her but the advice had only made her more nervous than she already was.

Sanjay had tried to console her and he had reassured her she would be a wonderful mother, “There is no one as kind or sweet as you.” he had told her in between kisses and for a moment, she had thought she would be able to go through everything with him by her side.

 

But all these uncomfortable feelings had been replaced by sheer joy the moment she had held her son in her arms.

Aditya was born on a rainy morning in mid June after intense hours of labour; he had looked so small in his grandfather Sanyam's arms Kala couldn't help but sob quietly at his vulnerability.

Hours after his birth, his tiny hands had clenched her index finger tightly, not wanting to let her go, and his dark eyes had seemed to look straight into her soul.

 

More than once, she had stayed up at night observing him as he slept, not only during his infant months but always through the years; she caressed his soft cheeks, marveling at the softness of his skin, and traced his delicate eyebrows with her fingers － sometimes he smiled in his sleep when he felt his mother’s touch and everytime she thanked Ganesha for the incredible gift he had given to her.

 

Kala was completely, unconditionally in love with her son. She had no idea such a powerful emotion even existed.

 

She still felt anxious most of the times and her parents had rolled her eyes more than once at her during Aditya’s first months of life (“Did you know that infants can die in the crib if they’re sleeping on their stomach, or on their side? How do I know he is not having problems breathing? Baby boys are more likely to die of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, did you know that?” she had said every time he fell asleep.), she had treated him as her most precious possession, constantly wanting to shield him from minimal risks.

 

Kala had embraced motherhood, enjoying her son’s presence and the light he brought in her life every day by simply existing.

However, fatherhood didn’t suit Sanjay and as their son had grown older, he started to grow apart.

 

Sanjay had started to work harder and harder after his son’s birth and when he wasn’t working, he made up excuses to stay outside their tiny apartment as much as possible.

 

Kala had noticed this behavior quite soon and fights had become a common occurrence; they would scream at each other and let their frustration known, but they stopped only when their loud screams scared Aditya, and Sanjay would leave their house every time, shutting the door behind him.

 

He had told her he felt “suffocated” by their routine, by their life; when Aditya started to cry he would completely ignore him, letting Kala take care of him by her own, claiming he was too busy or too stressed to deal with a child’s tantrums.

 

Sanjay had turned into a man Kala didn’t recognize anymore, and slowly as the years passed he had broke her heart with his irresponsibility and inattention towards their family.

 

This situation had been incredibly hard for Kala, not only she had been raising her son completely alone, not only her husband had suddenly become a stranger but she also had to lie to her parents.

 

She knew her sadness, anger and disillusionment would break their hearts; during family lunches and dinners, she would gather all her feelings and hide them in the darkest corner of her heart as she put her most convincing smile on her lips.

 

They never knew her pain, never knew her marriage was slowly crumbling into dust until she had finally announced her divorce.

 

Kala had tried to fix her marriage for years, not only for her own happiness but for her son’s as well. She had tried to ignore every little thing, had bitten her tongue more than once to stop herself from screaming at Sanjay every time he came back at four in the morning or refused to actually spend time with their son. She had tried. And failed.

 

After four years of marriage, countless fights and an undefined number of mistresses, he had been the one to ask her for divorce.

 

The memory of that afternoon was still vivid in her brain: he had been waiting for her in their bedroom, his suitcases already packed and closed, he was leaving her for another woman and there was a pathetic look on his face that was meant to show her how truly sorry he was.

 

She had laughed at him, the situation too ridiculous to her, and a bitter laugh had come out her body with a powerful force. For minutes she had laughed hysterically while she told him all the things she had tolerated during their years of marriage only for him to leave her in the end; it was a painful list and her voice had been a quivering mess by the time she was done.

 

He had left with a final “I’m sorry.” and had closed their door for the last time, and she finally broke down on the cold floor, unable to stop the tears from falling down her face.

Her marriage had been a complete failure, something that had once meant so much to her had reduced her to a miserable woman laying in the middle of an empty bed; she felt stupid, worthless, pathetic, completely destroyed.

 

At the end, the thing she regretted the most had been not leaving him immediately; she had let him humiliate her for years with the foolish hope that someday he would change for their family.

 

She had swallowed her pride and dignity for the sake of her son, she hadn’t wanted him to grow up without a father figure; but she had finally reached the conclusion that Aditya deserved more than a terrible father, he deserved only undying love and tenderness, and she intended to give him that.

 

Kala and Aditya had moved back to her parents’ house that same week and she had immediately filed for divorce.

 

Sanjay hadn’t bothered to fight for their son’s custody; he had wanted, most of all, their apartment and their shared small fortune.

 

Kala had wanted to give him all that, she didn’t care about any of that as long as he financially helped her to raise their son, but her parents had seen that as an insult and insisted she fought for things she considered useless.

 

Her main preoccupation had been her son and only him, his happiness, his well-being; nothing else mattered to her if she was able to give her son everything he deserved.

 

But her divorce hadn’t been the reason she had left India, it had been her distant relatives and acquaintances.

 

Everywhere she went with Aditya, she would hear people murmuring behind her back, she would feel their eyes on her son as they whispered and pointed at them; “Do you think you will get remarried soon?” some of them would rudely ask her, grimaces distorting their mouths while they judged her.

 

The social stigma she had to fight everyday had become unbearable, it felt heavy on her chest everytime she left the house, overwhelming her more every day. She knew that things were not bound to change anytime soon and she feared that her son would soon start to understand everything.

 

When her sister Daya had announced her acceptance to the Free University of Berlin, she had seen that as her occasion to finally leave her past behind; she had talked about her intentions with her family and Sanjay, who had not even tried to stop her from leaving the country with their son, and in less than three months, they had been in a plane to Germany.

 

For two years she had struggled to balance her life as a young, single mother with her newfound job as a pharmacy technician, while trying to learn a new language and help her sister with her own studies.

 

Luckily, after a few months, she had met her best friend Daniela and she had introduced her to a small, but amazing, group of people that had helped her and her son as much as they could.

 

Daniela, Hernando, Riley and Will had been a reassuring presence in her life for the past two years and they shamelessly spoiled Aditya, who loved them just as much they loved him. In such a short time, they had become a family.

 

“When was the last time you went out?” Daniela asked Kala as she put mascara on her eyelashes.

“Will’s birthday, four months ago. When she went left the pub at nine.” Hernando answered for her from the bed.

 

Kala frowned, “I have a five-year old son,” in that exact moment Aditya entered the room, holding a small notepad in his hands, “My free time is very limited, I’m afraid.”

 

Aditya laid the notepad on Hernando’s lap and put a pencil in his hand, “Uncle Hel, an elephant! Draw me an elephant!”

 

“What do we say, Adi?” Kala gently reprimanded her son.

“Sorry.” The small child mumbled, “Uncle Hel, could you PLEAASEE draw me an elephant?” he put emphasis on the word “please” and turned around to look at his mother, an annoyed pout appeared on his mouth as he asked her if he had said it right that time.

 

She simply nodded and let out an amused sigh.

 

That’s one thing he did with everyone; he loved animals, elephants being his favorites, and he demanded a drawing from everyone; just to criticize it once they finished it and assert that he drew them better, then he would start drawing and explain step by step how to make a “good picture”.

 

“Will you be nice to it? You’re always too harsh with my elephants, Adi.” Hernando told him while he started drawing.

 

Aditya didn’t say anything as he stared at the blank page, he craned his neck to look more attentively at it and, when Hernando had finished, he took the notepad in his hands to inspect the drawing carefully with a tiny frown on his forehead － so similar to his mother’s.

 

The small boy shook his head and sighed dramatically, “Not good.”, he turned the page and snatched the pencil from Hernando’s hands, “This is how you do it.”

 

Kala and Daniela observed the scene from the other side of the room with smiles on their lips.

 

“Adi, wash your teeth. It’s time for bed.” Kala told him and he looked away from his drawing.

“But you are wearing morning clothes, Mama.” Aditya pointed at her blouse and heels with his pencil.

 

“Yes, I’m going out for a little while with your uncles and your aunties, you will stay at home.”

“ALONE?!” He screeched so loudly that Hernando touched his ears to assure they were still working.

Kala let out a deep breath and walked closer to her son, sitting down on the bed to look at him straight in the eyes.

 

“No, darling. You will stay with Auntie Daya, remember? I’ll be back before you even realize it.” She gently caressed his hair and pulled him towards her chest.

 

“Super fast?” He asked her, needing reassurance.

“Yes.”

“Sonic fast of The Flash fast?”

“Sonic, sweetheart. Always.” She playfully winked at him and he hugged her, laying his head on her shoulders.

“You are pretty, Mama.” He said as he touched her long curls.

“Thank you, my little boy.” Kala held him more tightly and kissed his temple.

 

Daniela touched her heart, moved by the little scene, “Adorable.”

Hernando nodded, “Yes but Kala,” he mouthed, not wanting to possibly upset Aditya, “We have to go.”

 

Kala picked up Adi in her arms and took him to his room; she carefully laid him on his bed and laid next to him.

“Do you promise me to be a good boy?” She whispered.

“The goodest!” Aditya grinned at her, a few missing teeth made his smile even more adorable and Kala affectionately pinched his cheeks as she always did.

 

She softly kissed his head and ran her fingers through his hair, “I love you, _bandar_.”

“Love you too, Mama.”

 

* * *

 

The club was incredibly loud and incredibly crowded.

Kala stared at the people on the dancefloor from their couch, her friends had left her alone; some were at the bar, getting drinks for everybody, and others were dancing.

 

Will and Riley were the first to come back, drinks in their hands, and they sit next to her.

“There you go.” Will said as he handed her a glass of champagne.

 

“Thank you.” Kala replied and immediately took a sip from her glass.

Riley looked at the dancefloor, craning her neck to better search for their friends.

“Hernando and Daniela are still dancing?”

Kala nodded absently and looked down at her hands.

“What’s wrong?” Will noticed her sudden strange mood.

 

She smiled weakly and shook her head, “Nothing.”

Neither Will or Riley believed her and they glanced at each other, realizing what was wrong.

“I’m sure Adi is fine, he’s probably sleeping by now.” Riley reassured her and took her hands in hers.

 

Kala sighed, “I’m not used to leaving him alone at night, that’s all.”

She had tried not to voice her worry all night, not wanting to ruin their friends’ mood since she had promised them she would try to enjoy her birthday. But being a mother is not something she could simply switch off and, one way or another, she always ended up thinking about her son.

 

Daniela suddenly appeared next to them, she sat on the couch and fanned herself with her hand, drops of sweat were falling down her exposed back as the results of hours of dancing.

“It’s too hot in here.” she said as she sat more comfortably. She looked at her friends and frowned, “What’s wrong? What’s up with these sad faces?”

 

When none of them answered, Daniela gave Kala a sympathetic smile, immediately understanding what was going on.

 

“It’s ok to worry about your son, darling. But it’s also ok to enjoy yourself once in a while.” Daniela tried to sound as caring as possible, she didn’t want her friend to think she was judging her.

 

“I know. I know.” Kala put a smile on her face, a broad one, and finished her drink in one gulp, “Tonight is my night. I deserve to have fun.”

Will and Riley raised their own drinks to cheer to that and Daniela clapped enthusiastically, “YES! And you know what you deserve? A good fuck!”

 

Kala let out a loud gasp, Will choked on his beer and Riley simply shook her head at their friends’ honesty.

“Absolutely not.” Kala said seriously.

 

“Come on, Kala! When was the last time you had sex?”

“I don’t have sex with strangers, Dani.” She replied, blushing slightly.

 

“Your 26th birthday is a good time to start. I think.” Daniela pointed at Hernando on the dancefloor, dancing with a very handsome man, “Look at Hernando! He’s clearly having the time of his life.”

 

Riley decided to save Kala’s from the embarrassment she was feeling, “Let’s not pressure her into something she doesn’t want to do.”

“I’m not pressuring her! It’s just an advice.” Daniela smiled gently and sighed before grabbing Kala’s hand, “Let’s go dance!”

 

After what felt like hours to her, Kala excused herself from the dancefloor and went to the bar to buy a drink.

“A Mimosa, please.” She ordered to the bartender and sat on one of the stools.

 

The drink was quickly prepared for her and she started drinking while she observed the people around her.

“This is the first time I see someone order a Mimosa in a club.” Suddenly, a warm deep voice startled her and she turned her head to look where it had come from.

 

A tall, blond man was standing next to her, a small smirk on his lips as his blue eyes stared at her and a very defined jawline covered with light stubble that clenched when he noticed the length of her skirt.

 

Kala’s eyes inevitably wandered from his head to his feet, her brain immediately admiring the way his grey shirt fitted his arms and his torso. She blushed at her own thoughts and hid her face with her curls.

 

“Can I offer you your next drink?” He said in a low voice.

Kala frowned, confused, “Excuse me?”

“I asked if I could buy you a drink.”

 

His nonchalance took her by surprise and it made her feel slightly nervous; he was clearly trying to flirt with her, she knew that by simply looking at his slight smirk and the way he was staring at her, but she wasn’t sure how she was supposed to handle the situation.

 

Did she want him to keep hitting on her? Or did she want him to go away? She didn’t know. But she knew a part of her relished how his eyes gazed at her body.

 

“Why would you want to buy me a drink?”

The man shrugged, “Because that’s what I usually do when I see someone as beautiful as you.”

Kala grimaced at that and raised her eyebrows in slight disgust.

“Does that cheesy line always work?”

 

He chuckled softly, “Most of the times, yes. Women appreciate my bluntness.”

“Of course they do.” Kala simply said and stared at her glass; she thought that if she pretended to ignore him hard enough he would understand the message and leave without her having to say anything.

 

“I’m Wolfgang Bogdanow, by the way.” He said and stretched an hand out to greet her.

Kala gazed at his hand, trying her best to avoid his eyes, and shook it, “Kala.”

 

Wolfgang frowned slightly as he noticed her reluctance and distanced himself from her, “Am I making you uncomfortable?”

 

The tone of his voice, so worried and caring, shocked her pleasantly and she smiled to reassure him she was alright.

 

“I can go away - “ He started saying.

“I’m just not used to this,” she motioned to them, “to people flirting with me.”

 

His eyes widened, a bit shocked, “Seriously?”

“Yes.” She said as she blushed again.

“Do you want me to stop?”

The first thing that came up to her mind was a decisive “no”, she didn’t want him to stop flirting with her; she didn’t want him to stop looking at her like she was the most beautiful woman in the room.

 

He was a complete stranger and she felt foolish to care so much about his attention, but she couldn’t deny she liked feeling desidered, wanted, by such an attractive man.

“No.”

 

They started talking then; he asked about her life, about her family, and she did the same. They were both vague about the information they shared with each other, but other than that, they had a pleasing conversation.

 

Wolfgang asked her if she was alone and she replied by pointing at her friends on the other side of the room.

 

“These are your friends?” He said, slightly amused.

“Yes, why?”

“Your friend,” he pointed at Hernando, “occasionally hooks up with my friend Lito. And she,” he directed his finger towards Daniela, “made out once with my friend Felix.”

 

Kala laughed and covered her mouth with her hands, “Oh Ganesha.”

“Small world.” He shrugged and took a sip of his beer, “So, can I buy you a drink now or shall we dance first?”

She smiled and shook her head slightly at herself, he didn’t have to ask her twice, she stood up and took his hand in hers.

“Let’s dance first.”

 

She regretted her choice immediately; after they walked towards the middle of the dancefloor, he got closer to her and put his hands on her hips, his eyes silently asking her if that was alright.

Kala gave him a small nod, she wanted him close to her, but at the same time she was scared by what such gesture could lead to.

 

She knew she was attracted to him, there was really no point to deny it, and she felt overwhelmed by her own desires; she wasn’t used to _this,_ to dance with men in a loud club, to crave a stranger’s touch out of the sudden, to feel so dizzy by the mere thought of her lips touching someone she had just met.

 

She had appreciated his quick wit and his confident personality when they had been at the bar but now, now it was impossible to ignore how her body reacted to his every single movement.

 

Wolfgang pulled her closer to him, his arms were around her waist, gently touching her lower back, “Your friends are staring at us.” he whispered in her ear, amused.

 

His deep voice resonated inside her body and Kala felt a shiver run down her spine.

“Of course they are.” She replied with a hint of annoyance in her voice, she couldn’t see her friends but what he had said wasn’t surprising at all.

 

The music changed, the slow beat turned into a fastest, vibrant rhythm; he started moving more energetically, encouraging her to do the same as he moved her hips with his hands.

 

Wolfgang smiled at her embarrassed smile and tuck a stray of hair behind her ear, “There is no need to be shy. Not with me, at least.” he said, his breath caressing her neck.

 

Kala closed her eyes at the sensation; all her body felt on fire under his touch, his perfume blurred her mind and in that moment there was no one else but him in the room.

 

She let go then, she silenced her brain for the first time in years, and decided to focus completely on the music. To focus completely on _him_ , and the feelings he stirred inside of her.

 

Kala put her arms around his neck, pressing her body even closer to his, and he touched her forehead with his.

 

They moved together, completely in sync, the club’s dark light turned them invisible to the people around them, and the music sounded like a distant buzz as they stared at each other’s eyes.

 

She felt surprisingly bold and let her hands wander down his body, silently admiring the way his muscular arms and his defined abs felt under the softness of his cotton shirt.

 

Kala must have had spent more time touching his body than she had realized or intended to, because when she raised her eyes to his, he was looking at her with a small on his lips, clearly appreciating her touch and not-so-subtle admiration.

 

He laid a hand on her cheek when she blushed, and slowly caressed her lower lip with his thumb as his other hand moved up and down her back, occasionally grazing her breast and enjoying the way her breath quickened everytime he did.

 

At one point, his hand went lower than before, and he touched her ass, pressing her closer to his groin.

It was a firm but gentle touch and she had to repress a moan when she felt his growing erection pressed into her abdomen, they were so close to each other she swore she could hear his heartbeat －or maybe it was hers, simply beating louder than normal.

 

Kala blinked slowly and let out a deep breath, her panties getting damper and she gasped when he slowly slid a hand under skirt, teasing her bare outer thigh with the pads of his fingers.

 

His hands went higher and higher under her skirt, until he finally reached her panties; he played with the hem, teasing her with his thumb on her skin. If he had moved his hands a bit lower, he could have felt the wetness that soaked her through the underwear.

 

“If it feels so good now, imagine how it must be when he touches your pussy.” A voice inside of her suggested her, a voice that sounded dangerously like Daniela.

 

That thought successfully broke the moment and she distanced herself from him; her skin was hot to the touch and she felt incredibly ashamed by her own thoughts.

He was a complete stranger, she shouldn’t want him so much. It didn’t make sense to her.

 

“I need something to drink.” She told him and hastily walked back towards the bar, feeling his eyes on her back.

 

“A glass of water.” Kala ordered but was quickly interrupted by Daniela, who appeared next to her, “No. Two shots of vodka, please.”

 

Kala fought the urge to roll her eyes at her friend’s amused smirk, “Don’t start, Daniela.”

Too late, her friend had already her words on her lips, “That was fucking hot. I almost came myself.”

 

“Daniela.” Kala let out a deep, annoyed, breath and covered her face with her hands.

The bartender handed their shots and Daniela slid them towards Kala.

 

“You need a bit of liquid courage to keep going.” She told her with a smirk.

Kala shook her head, refusing to drink any more alcohol.

 

“Kala, I bet 50 euros with Will that you would fuck Wolfgang Bogdanow tonight.”

She let out a indignant gasp and slammed her hands on the bar’s counter, “you did WHAT?”

 

Daniela held her friend’s face in her hands and looked straight into her eyes, “You. Need. To. Fuck.”, she glanced towards the dancefloor, “And Wolfgang Bogdanow is definitely the best birthday gift you could get. He has quite the reputation.”

 

Kala frowned, an irrational jealousy suddenly flooding her chest, “Thank you, Daniela. That effectively changed my mind.”

 

Daniela playfully rolled her eyes, “There’s nothing wrong with meaningless sex for one night.”

 

Kala blushed and tried to look away from her friend but she stopped her, “Look me in the eyes and tell me you’re not turned on by the idea of spending a night in that man’s bed.”

 

Of course Kala was aroused by that thought; she had been since the very start and had tried so hard to ignore her body’s needs but every time she did, vivid images of their naked bodies intertwined together or of his lips slowly kissing every inch of her skin came up to her mind.

 

“Don’t feel ashamed of your sexual needs, cariño.” Dani smiled at her.

 

Kala stayed in silence for a few more seconds, seriously thinking about what she so desperately wanted to do and the consequences that act could have.

“Why do I feel like I’m going to regret this?”, she said as she drink the first shot.

 

“Then you will learn from your mistakes and never have a one-night stand again.” Daniela made it seem so easy, for her it wasn’t a big deal but Kala could feel her stomach twisting with nerves.

 

Was that how she wanted to remember her youth? Constantly afraid of ignoring what her brain told her to do?

 

After her failed marriage, she overthought every little thing she did; she had been sure of her decision back then, she had decided to follow her heart and marry Sanjay despite the tiny voice inside her that told her it was all happening too fast.

And she couldn’t help but think about where that decision had led her to.

 

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re not going to marry this guy, you’re only supposed to have sex with him once. That’s it.” She chided herself.

 

Kala looked behind her back, her eyes immediately finding Wolfgang in the middle of the dancefloor, he was dancing with his friends and he had a tiny smirk on his face as he occasionally glanced at her.

 

He was one of the most gorgeous men she had ever seen, she couldn’t deny that, and not for the first time she found herself appreciating his firm body; from his strong hands to his long legs, from his disheveled hair to the dimples on his face, she wasn’t able to take off her eyes from him. She didn’t want to.

 

Kala exhaled, closed her eyes, and drank the last shot.

“I’m going to do this.” She told Daniela and shook her head disapprovingly when her friend started clapping enthusiastically.

 

Kala fixed her skirt and undid the first buttons of her shirt before going back to Wolfgang.

“Are you alright?” He asked her, a hint of worry in his voice.

She nodded and seemed to have a short conversation with herself, “I want this.” she simply murmured as she pressed her body closer to him.

 

“I want this too,” he whispered with the hint of a pleased smile in his voice.

 

They picked up from where they had stopped; this time, they were more comfortable with each other and they let their hands move wherever they wanted unashamedly.

 

Kala was particularly enjoying it, her body wasn’t her enemy anymore and she savoured every minute, every second of their mutual teasing.

 

Suddenly, he turned around and hugged her from behind, smiling into her neck as she closed her eyes and moved her hips against his.

 

Wolfgang didn’t bother to hide the effect her body had on him and let her feel his erection; this time, she audibly moaned as she felt his cock pressing into her ass.

 

Kala held his hands in her hers as they moved slowly, grinding their bodies together in their own rythm.

 

“Do you want to go away?” He hesitated before asking her, clearly not wanting to scare her with his blatant proposal.

 

She stopped dancing then, a sudden panic grew inside her, she looked at their intertwined hands and thought about her next move.

 

“Yes.” Kala said before she could stop herself, “Absolutely. Let’s go.” she smiled broadly at him and kissed his cheek.

 

Kala walked rapidly towards her friends, grabbed her purse, and told them she would call them in the morning.

 

Wolfgang was already waiting for her near the club’s exit and smiled fondly when she delicately touched his face.

 

“Don’t make me regret this, Wolfgang Bogdanow.” she told him, completely serious, and he couldn’t help but laugh at her tone as he put his arms around her shoulders.

 

He already knew he was going to remember that night for the rest of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked the first chapter! As I said, this is a very short story so it will have only 3 (or 4) chapters! 
> 
>  
> 
> Oh, and Aditya means "The Sun" or "Newly Risen Sun" in Hindi.


	2. A Night To Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kala has her first one-night stand. And she enjoys it more than she thought she would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is rated E because it contains my very first smut scene!   
> I listened to The Weeknd while writing this chapter so you get the mood.

They walked inside Wolfgang’s apartment and he closed the door behind them while Kala started looking around.

  
The living room was small but cozy, a bit impersonal perhaps, but she appreciated the warm atmosphere the soft light created.

In the middle of the room there was a black leather couch that didn’t seem particularly comfortable, it fitted perfectly with the house’s decor though and she immediately noticed how different his house was from her colorful apartment.

  
There were no photos, no mementos on the cabinet’s shelves; there was nothing that showed her who he was or what he liked.   
  
Wolfgang offered her something to drink and she eagerly agreed, following him to the kitchen.   
She stared intently at him as he poured red wine in two glasses and he raised an eyebrow, silently asking her what was so interesting in the act.   
  
“I need to make sure you won’t drug me.” She said matter-of-factly and caught him completely by surprise.    
He laughed and threw his head back, “Very wise.” he remarked.   
  
Wolfgang clinked his glass with hers and they took a sip while they stared at each other.   
He was looking at her the same way he had done in the club, a mix of awe and desire made the blue of his eyes seem darker and his intentions were clear. His intensity made her heart race uncontrollably,  and she broke the eye contact, scared by the feelings he made her feel with a simple look.   
  
“You have a nice house,” she said while she looked around the spotless kitchen, “very clean, very tidy. It looks like it came out of an IKEA catalogue.”   
  
“You caught me,” he shook his head, pretending to be embarrassed, “I did buy all my furniture there. And I never bothered to actually decorate it.”   
  
“You should put photos, paintings, anything really. People should tell it’s your home the minute they walk inside.”   
  
Wolfgang shrugged, not particularly caring about his home’s decor, “Photos of who, exactly?”   
“Of people you care about, of places that remind you home.”   
  
“Do you have that in your apartment?” He asked her.   
Kala nodded, “Yes. I have photos of Mumbai, of my friends, of my-” she was about to say Son but abruptly stopped herself, “of my family.” she finished saying instead.   
  
Wolfgang had noticed her sudden interruption but he didn’t say anything about it.   
“Who knows, maybe one day I’ll find something worth enough to hang on my walls.” he told her with a small smile as he stared deeply in her eyes once again.   
  
Kala let out a nervous laugh and went back to the living room while Wolfgang walked behind her.   
“So, are we going to have sex?” she took a deep breath and spun around to look at him, putting her hands on her waist.   
  
“If that’s what you wish, Ma’am.” He tried to say as serious as he could but he couldn’t suppress his smile.   
“Yes, let’s get it over with.” Kala nodded and took a deep breath.   
Wolfgang raised his eyebrows and bit his lower lip, trying to contain his laughter, “That’s so hot.”   
  
She playfully rolled her eyes and looked over two closed doors next to the kitchen, “Is one of these your bedroom?”   
He nodded and put an hand out to stop her from moving, “I need to go to the bathroom first.”   
  
Kala relaxed slightly at this and she followed him with her eyes as he went towards one of the doors.   
Once he got inside, she hastily started to look around his house, trying to find anything suspicious.   
  
She didn’t want to violate his privacy and restrained herself from checking inside any box or drawer, instead she made sure that the door wasn’t completely locked and that his windows could be easily opened.   
  
She suddenly stood still, realizing what she had been doing, and shook her head at herself for her ridiculous thoughts.   
  
Wolfgang came out of the bathroom to find her standing in the middle of the living room, a smile on her face as she nervously played with the hem of her blouse.   
  
“What?” He asked her, noticing her amusement.   
  
“I saw a movie once,” she started explaining, “where an Australian girl decided to have a one night stand with a complete stranger in Berlin, only for him to lock her up inside his home after they had sex.”   
  
“I saw that movie as well.”   
“You won’t do that.” She intended to state firmly but it sounded more like a question.    
“I won’t.” Wolfgang reassured her and tried again to keep a straight face, “you can check my windows if you want.”   
  
Kala blushed furiously and murmured, “I already did. While you were in the bathroom.”   
  
“Of course.” Wolfgang let out a low, deep chuckle and got closer to her, “Come, I’ll show you my bedroom.”   
  
  


He entered the room first and moved towards his nightstand to turn on a lamp.   
If she had thought his house was too impersonal, then his bedroom didn’t do anything else but confirm her theory.   
  
It was a beautiful bedroom, of course, the dark grey walls and the dark furniture created an interesting atmosphere, in the middle of the room there was a king-sized bed covered with black sheets that looked incredibly soft.   
And right beside the bed there was a full-length mirror; it was one of the first things she noticed and her eyes widen at her own improper thoughts.   
  
“Do you like it?” He asked her while he led her towards the bed.   
Kala gulped and nodded as he sat on the bed and made her stand between his open legs.   
  
“We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to, I hope you know that.” Wolfgang murmured and ran his hands up and down her arms, creating goosebumps on her skin.   
  
“I know. I want to. I want this.” She whispered and brushed his lips with her fingers.   
Her gentle touch was so tantalising he had to close his eyes at the feeling, his pants were already feeling to tight and he felt slightly scared by the power she held over him.   
  
She had been staring at his lips all night, completely mesmerized by them, and wondered how they must feel on her skin, on her mouth.   
  
“Kiss me, Wolfgang.” Kala said in a quivering voice, still shocked by the strength of her desire.   
  
Their lips were dangerously close to each other; she closed her eyes and wet her upper lip with the tip of her tongue in anticipation.   
  
Wolfgang laid his hands on her waist and pulled her body closer to his. Finally, he kissed her.   
  
It was quite the chaste kiss at first, his mouth gently touched hers as if asking for a final permission; she smiled against his lips, touched by his clear tenderness, and held his face in her hands to deepen the kiss.   
  
His hands grabbed her ass through her skirt as his tongue licked her lips, her tongue, enjoying every little sound that came out of her.   
  
Kala felt herself getting wetter by the second, she instinctively pressed her legs together, and she felt dizzy. His lips tasted even better than she had thought.

 

She shuddered when he sucked her tongue deeper into his mouth, moaning as she tasted the wine they had drank before.   
  


Wolfgang took her moans as a sign of encouragement and boldly slid his hands under her skirt like he had done in the club.

 

He started teasing her with his fingers; his hand moved up until they grazed the lace of her panties only to go down slowly her legs again. She was starting to get frustrated, craving his touch on the place she needed him the most, and he knew that.

 

Kala decided she had enough of his teasing and broke the kiss, she started unbuttoning his shirt and took it off his body as she caressed his arms and abs.

 

Her hands followed the V of his abs until she reached the zipper of his pants and pulled it down; he lifted his hips from the bed to help her take off it off along with his underwear.

Wolfgang was completely naked in front of her, his erection pressed against her stomach, and she was still fully clothed －Kala couldn’t deny the power she felt in that moment, his eyes were filled with pure lust and he was at her mercy.

 

“This,” he whispered while he proceeded to undress her, “is not fair.”

 

Kala smiled as he finally took off her blouse and her skirt, leaving her only with her high black heels and her turquoise lingerie.

 

His gaze roamed down her body, a small smirk on his lips as he admired the sight before him; she was incredibly beautiful, the bright color of her underwear accentuated her brown skin and he exhaled as he cupped her breasts.

 

“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he said so sincerely, his voice deep with want and awe.

 

She blushed at this and bit her lower lip nervously, no one, not even her husband, had ever spoken to her that way and struggled to believe it was the truth, “Do you say that to all the women you have sex with?” she said sheepishly.

 

Wolfgang lifted his chin to look at her and delicately touched her face to make her look into his eyes, “No. I’ve never met anyone like you.”

 

Kala felt suddenly choked up with emotion, touched by his honesty and genuine admiration; for the first time in years she felt truly beautiful, sexy, wanted.

 

She pushed him slightly down towards the mattress then and he moved back until his back hit the headboard of the bed.

 

He had made her feel special with a few simple words and she wanted to do the same with her own body; slowly, she started kissing his neck, alternating the kisses with small licks as she started going down his body.

 

Wolfgang sighed when she moved her tongue on his stomach, and he buried his hands in her hair when she bit the thin skin of his lower abdomen, her hands slowly caressed his inner thighs, getting closer and closer to his cock.

 

Kala put an end to his sweet torture quickly, she took his erection in her hands and starting moving them up and down, her thumb wiping the precum from the tip.

 

She smiled to herself as she watched him close his eyes tightly; he was trying so hard to stay quiet despite the movement of her hands and she was enjoying seeing him restraining himself immensely, but she wanted more. She wanted him to moan for her, wanted  him to completely lose himself under her. So, she took him in her mouth without any kind of forewarning.

 

Her action had the effect she had hoped for. Wolfgang didn’t even bothered to suppress his loud moan, he had been taken completely by surprise by the warmth of her mouth and the feeling was too exquisite to hide.

 

He gripped her curls more tightly in his hands as he tried not to thrust into her mouth, “This feels fucking amazing.” he told her in a low, husky voice.

 

His deep, erotic voice managed to make her even wetter than she already was and she stopped herself from sliding a hand in her panties － the urge to relieve herself became stronger as she heard the sounds he made and tasted him on her tongue.

 

Kala took him even deeper in her mouth, her rhythm accelerating at the same time she started cupping his balls with her hands, her saliva mixing with his own fluid on his cock as she flicked her tongue along his length.

Wolfgang reacted to this with a new series of swear words and grunts, his breath quickening as he got closer to climax.

 

He gently pulled her hair away from him, “I’m about to come,” he said. 

She raised an eyebrow, “Well, that’s the whole point, isn’t it?” and she tried to keep going.

 

Wolfgang let out a low chuckle and stopped her, he shook his head firmly.

“I want to come inside you.”

 

Kala blushed at his words and bit her lower lip at her reaction, after what she had just done she didn’t understand how she could feel embarrassed by a few words.

 

She nodded and raised on her knees, she swiftly took off her heels and straddled his hips. 

He sat and held her body close to him, his cock pressing against her through the thin fabric of her panties.

 

Wolfgang started kissing her neck, sucking slowly on her pulse and smiled to himself when he thought about the marks he was leaving on her skin.

One of his hands started working on her bra’s clasp while the other went down and squeezed her ass.

 

He started sucking and kissing her nipples once the bra was finally off, she clutched his head closer to her chest and ran her fingers through his hair.

 

Kala moaned as she started grinding on him, the pace of her movements increasing as he sucked harder, creating a wonderful friction between his cock and her soaked panties.

 

“Fuck, I can’t take this anymore,” he said and laid her down the bed, under him. 

She giggled at his impatience, purring in his ear while he hastily removed her panties.

 

He stopped for a minute then to grab a condom from his nightstand’s drawer, Kala took it from his hands and decided to put it herself instead.

 

Kala smirked amusedly when his inhaled as she touched his cock again; her delighted expression was quickly replaced with a loud, deep moan when he finally slid inside her.

 

“Wolfgang,” that was the only thing she managed to whisper, her hands brushing his muscular arms.

 

He murmured something that sounded like “fuck” under his breath, his body thrusting inside her more and more; every moan, every groan, every little sound she made encouraged him to go faster, deeper, harder ㇐ he lifted her leg to get a better angle, to slam more forcefully inside of her.

 

Wolfgang smiled when she clutched his ass to bring him even closer to her, her fingernails were pressing into his skin while she bit his shoulder, trying not to scream, and the pleasure mixed with the pain was slowing making him lose his mind.

 

The room was filled with the erotic sounds of their bodies moving together, with their guttural moans and their imprecations, they were both drunk with the effect they had on the other.

 

Kala put an hand on his chest, and slightly pushed him off of her, letting him know she wanted him under her.

Wolfgang complied with her desire enthusiastically and laid down on the bed, his eyes seemed to sparkle as he stared at her moving on top of him: he cupped her breast, his thumb rubbing her nipples, his mouth slightly open as he marveled at her beauty.

 

“I don’t think anyone has ever looked at me the way you do,” she murmured, a beautiful blush covering her cheeks.

 

He smiled, his hands moving up to trace her full lips with his thumb, “It’s impossible for me not to, Kala. You’re gorgeous.” she took his finger inside her mouth and sucked it slowly.

 

Kala moved to align his cock with her pussy and sank down on it; their breath stopped once again and they stayed still for a moment, both of them enjoying their new position more than they thought they would.

 

She loved the power she felt over him, he loved watching her body move on top of him －her breasts bouncing as he thrust his hips into her, his hands moved from her breasts to her stomach to her waist.

 

She made the amazing mistake of glancing at his mirror, her eyes widen as she drank on the sight of their bodies together, their sweat-covered skin glistening under the warm light. It was, quite simply, the most erotic thing she had ever seen in her life.

 

Kala started increasing her pace, her hips grinding more energetically, she arched her back and closed her eyes as she got completely lost in the feeling of his cock filling her inside and his touch on her hot skin.

 

Faster and harder she moved, fueled by pure carnal desire; “That’s what people mean by fucking.” she thought, in all her years of marriage she had never felt this want, this need, this craving for another person. 

In one night, Wolfgang Bogdanow had managed to show her a completely new, different, side of herself.

 

Wolfgang noticed how she was trying to keep quiet, how she was trying to moderate herself; he moved his finger to her pussy then, and started rubbing her clit.

She let out a strangled gasp at the unexpected feeling, “God, yes,” she said as he pressed his finger on her more strongly and thrusted his cock into her faster.

 

Kala was close, he could feel that by the way she clenched around him, and he needed her to let herself go completely, he needed her to remember him the rest of her life.

 

Wolfgang sat on the bed on his knees, never breaking their union, and moved her hips to pound forcefully into her.

 

Kala kissed him, her tongue immediately searching his; their desperate movements had lost the previous rhythm and now they were simply too lost in their own animal urges.

They moved frantically, their hands trying to touch and squeeze as much as they could, their mouths tasting each other, and their sweaty bodies sliding against one another, her breasts pressing into his chest.

 

He wasn’t going to last long, he knew that, and he wanted her to come first. Wolfgang started rubbing her pussy again with his left hand, just right above where they were joined, and bit her earlobe.

As his finger touched her clit, she moved faster on his cock, urgently looking for her own release.

 

“Kala,” he whispered, his voice almost enough to make her come right then, “scream for me.”

Her body started trembling at these simple words and she looked into his eyes, her climax approaching like a powerful wave.

“Scream.” he said firmly, not accepting a refusal, his hand sliding down to squeeze her ass, thrusting powerfully into her. And scream she did.

 

She came powerfully around him, her head thrown back while she keep repeating “Yes. God, Wolfgang.”, her head spinning with the strength of her orgasm. But he didn’t stop his movements as he tried to reach his own climax. 

Kala started kissing and biting his neck, she had noticed he liked when she did that, his eyes closed tightly and he let out a grunt.

 

“Fuck, you’re amazing,” he told her as she kept using her tongue on him, his hands were set firmly on her waist and his cock felt incredibly swollen inside her.

He focused on her tongue, on how tight her pussy felt around him and with one final thrust, he came inside her harder than ever before.

 

They kissed, slowly, and moved their tongues to savor every little second. 

He laid back on the bed, removed the condom to toss it aside, and brought her down with him, she laid completely satisfied on his chest and started tracing circles on his skin with her fingers.

 

“Do you want to stay all night?” Wolfgang asked her while he caressed her black curls.

She nodded, closing her eyes, “Only if you promise to make me come again.”

He chuckled and she enjoyed how his laugh felt under her cheek.

“Damn, give me time to recover at least.”

 

Kala snuggled closer to him, already half-asleep herself, “The night is young, Wolfgang Bogdanow.”

They fell asleep quickly, too exhausted to do anything else.

 

It was four in the morning when Wolfgang woke her up with small kisses on her collarbones, tickling her.

Kala slowly blinked to open her eyes, part of her thinking she was still asleep, and touched his cheek gently.

“What are you doing?”

He smiled against her skin, “Making you come again.”

 

She laughed softly at this and instantly opened her legs, “If this is a dream, don’t wake me up.” she sighed as he started going down on her body, kissing every inch of her skin.

 

* * *

 

 

The strong sunlight filtering through the windows of his bedroom woke her up, they had forgotten to draw the curtains the night before and now the light hit them on their faces.

 

Kala opened her eyes, yawning as she felt her body deliciously sore, and she noticed a warm, hard body under hers.

Images of her night started flashing through her mind and she smiled as she looked at Wolfgang sleeping so peacefully, she couldn’t say she regretted it because she simply didn’t.

 

She stared at him for a few seconds, admiring the lines of his face, the way his chest moved slowly up and down as he breathed, and most of all, she looked at his lips.

Kala kissed him lightly, the urge to touch his mouth too strong to ignore, and she felt her heart stop when he smiled in his sleep.

She found herself thinking she wanted to wake up like this every morning and got scared by her own thoughts.

 

Kala looked away from him immediately and her eyes caught the alarm clock on his nightstand.

_ 8.30 am. _

Panic flood her chest. Aditya woke up at eight. By this time, he was already asking for breakfast. By this time, he had already noticed his mother wasn’t home.

 

She hastily got up from the bed and looked for her clothes as fast as she could, trying not to wake up Wolfgang; she didn’t want to interrupt his rest but most of all, she didn’t want to deal with his questions about her leaving so early.

 

Kala put on her shoes and with one final, adoring, glance at him she left the room; before she could leave his house however, she noticed a small notes block and a pen on a small table in the living room.

She thought twice about what she intended to do, she didn’t know if that was usually done after one night stands and she hesitated, not wanting to appear foolish to him.

With a sigh she grabbed the pen and started writing.

 

Once she had finished, she looked around for the last time and left the apartment, closing the door behind her.

 

* * *

 

“Oh look who’s here.” Daya greeted her sister in the kitchen while she took a sip of her coffee.

“Is Adi awake?” Kala asked nervously and relaxed instantly when she told her he wasn’t, yet.

 

“Oh thank God.” She sat on one of the table’s chair and put her head in her hands; she had run from Wolfgang’s house, trying to get to her home as quickly as possible, her clothes were a mess and she didn’t want to imagine the state of her hair.

 

“Where have you been all night,  _ baṛī _ ? ” 

Kala bit her lower lip and lied, “I stayed at Hernando’s and Dani’s house.”

 

Daya nodded, pursing her lips, “Funny. Daniela just called me to ask if you were home, apparently you’re not answering your phone.”

 

Kala had forgotten about her phone the night before when she had muted it to avoid any interruption.

 

She raised her head sheepishly and rolled her eyes when she saw the cheeky grin on her face.

“You should shower now before Adi wakes up.” Daya simply said.

 

Kala stood up slowly from the chair, her legs still felt weak and she was starting to feel the consequences of her rough night.

 

She was walking towards the bathroom when her sister’s voice stopped her, her amused words iced her blood and she sighed in embarrassment, suddenly wanting to hide in her room for the rest of the week.

 

“Nice hickeys, by the way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this chapter was very fun and I hope you enjoyed reading it just as I enjoyed writing it!


	3. Truths and Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kala and Wolfgang start slowly building their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm sorry for taking so long! This is the longest chapter I've ever written so I hope that makes up for it.  
> Warnings: this chapter contains lots of explicit scenes (sexting, masturbation, regular sex ahah) so feel free to skip it if it's not your thing!

****

The alarm clock woke her up on Wednesday morning and interrupted her very pleasant dream; she slowly opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling as vivid images of it started flashing in her brain. 

 

_ Hands touched her body gently, as if she were made of glass, caressing her skin with a mix of tenderness and desire. She couldn’t see the man’s face but she didn’t need to, she knew exactly who he was. _

_ Her legs wrapped around his waist as he thrusted hard inside of her, his mouth searched hers madly and she grabbed his hair, deepening the kiss.  _

_ Everything felt so real to her; the feeling of his cock inside of her, she sucked on his tongue and could taste him so clearly, she could feel his calloused fingers leaving marks on her sensitive skin as he squeezed her thighs in the throes of passion. _

_ And she swore she could almost feel the sweet release of an orgasm. _

 

Kala immediately noticed the wetness of her panties and bit her lower lip sheepishly, suddenly feeling ridiculous and ashamed at her wantonness.

One month had passed since she had last seen him and she had had these kind of dreams more times than she cared to admit.

In these dreams, they were not having one single night of passion. In these dreams, they were actually in a serious relationship and she knew it, there was a certain loving intimacy that she couldn’t deny. And that was what made her feel more foolish than anything else.

 

She could have spent minutes laying on her bed, thinking about her love life, but she reminded herself she was a mother and needed to take her son to school on time.

Aditya had to be at school at eight o’clock and it was just half past six, she could have stayed more but she knew her son wasn’t a morning child. She needed ten minutes only to wake him up and make him go to the kitchen to have breakfast.

With an heavy sigh, she got up from her bed and prepared herself to face another day.

 

“Sweetheart, wake up.” Kala kissed her son’s face and caressed his hair, waking him up gently. If she woke him up too harshly, he could spend most of the morning frowning and pouting.

 

Aditya made a disgruntled noise and turned around on his bed, he put his thin sheet over his head and completely ignored his mother as he tried to keep sleeping.

 

“Adi, you have to go to school. Come on, darling.” She laid an hand on his shoulder and shook him slightly, he just pushed her hand away and grunted.

 

“Aditya.” Kala tried to use her best stern voice but failed. Daya always teased her for that, she told her she was too nice and that’s why her son got away with everything.

It was partly true, Kala recognized that herself, but she also had her limits and Aditya tried not to cross them, too scared of his mother when she was truly angry.

 

“I don’t wanna go.” He whined and kicked his tiny legs.

 

Kala let out a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose to maintain her calm, “Get up, right now.” she took the sheet away from him and lifted him up.

 

He stayed like that, sitting on the bed with his eyes closed, for a few seconds; he already had a pout on his mouth and tried to laid down once again but his mother stopped him.

“Don’t you want to have breakfast? I bought your favorite chocolate cereals yesterday.”

 

That seemed to improve his mood slightly, he opened one single eye and asked, “Breakfast in bed?”

 

“Nice try, little man,” she laughed and ruffled his hair, “Let’s go.”

She took his arm and made him stand up; he followed her to the kitchen still pouting and whining, but at least he was finally up.

“Go to the bathroom and wash your face while I make us breakfast, alright?” 

 

Daya had a late morning class so that morning it was only her and Aditya; she toasted bread for herself and poured milk in a bowl of cereal for her son.

They sat to have breakfast when he returned from the bathroom and started eating quietly.

 

On rare good days, Aditya would talk during breakfast and nothing could make him shut up, but he had nothing to be particularly excited about on that day so he just lazily put spoonful of cereal in his mouth.

 

Kala took a sip of her tea and tried to have a conversation with him, “Your field trip is almost here, aren’t you excited?”

Aditya’s very first school field trip was two weeks away, his entire class would leave for two days to visit a nearby farm where they would learn about animals and plants. 

He was very excited about it actually but in that moment, at seven in the morning, he just nodded very slowly as he yawned.

 

“I decided to give you a disposable camera so you will be able to take photos of your favorite animals, what do you think?” She smirked, already predicting her son’s reaction.

 

Aditya suddenly straightened his shoulders and his eyes widened in excitement, “REALLY MAMA?”

“Yes, but you will have to be very careful with it, ok?” 

She could buy one of these disposable cameras for fifteen euros or less so they weren’t too expensive, but she wanted him to take it seriously and be responsible.

 

He nodded more enthusiastically this time and said seriously, “No worries, I won’t let any of my friends touch it.”

 

Kala rolled her eyes and smiled at him.

“They can use it, Adi, but you will be the one responsible for it.”

 

Aditya nodded again and took his mother’s hand, “I promise I won’t fail you, Mama.” he said dramatically.

“You watch too many movies.” She giggled and shook her head playfully.

 

They talked about Adi’s field trip and what he was more excited to see while they ate their breakfast, and the little boy ran to his room once he had finished his cereal.

Kala washed their dishes and started thinking about all the things she had to buy for Aditya’s school trip; she focused on that and her everyday chores as she tried her best to ignore her thoughts about a certain blond man.

 

* * *

 

 

Kala had a favorite coffee house where she had lunch whenever she could, it was very close to her workplace and they had delicious sandwiches and salads, she would order her food and sit reading a book during her lunch break.

 

That afternoon, she ordered a bottle of water and a Caesar Salad, and sat on a table near a big window.

She had been immersed in her new book’s story when she heard someone coughing in front of her to catch her attention.

“Hey.” He greeted her and she stood still as she recognized the voice, slowly she raised her eyes and her breath caught in her throat when she met his gaze.

 

Wolfgang was looking at her with a small smile on his face and pointed to her book, “Am I interrupting?”

 

“Yes,” she blurted and shook her head nervously, immediately regretting her answer, “I mean, no. You’re not.”

 

“Can I sit?” His casual question just shocked her even more, she still couldn’t believe he was standing in front of her.

 

Kala nodded, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and bit her lower lip, suddenly self-conscious about her appearance.

 

“That looks good,” he said as he looked at her salad, she pushed the dish towards him and offered some of it but he shook his head, “I’m not really hungry, thank you.”

 

“How have you been?” Kala tried to be just as casual as he was while her heart beat loudly in her chest and she played nervously with the hem of her skirt.

 

He was more handsome than she remembered, he had let his beard grow and she wondered how his jawline would feel under her fingers; that thought brought back memories from their night and she blushed furiously as she often did when she remembered what they had shared.

 

“Great, and you?” Wolfgang still had his soft smile on his face and he looked genuinely pleased to see her.

 

“Good, thank you. Is this the first time you come here? I’ve never seen you before.”

 

“Yes.” He let out a small, nervous chuckle and considered his next words carefully, “I’m actually here to see you.”

 

Kala frowned and stuttered, “W-What?”

 

Wolfgang sighed. He told her about how he hadn’t stop thinking about her since their night and when he had casually mentioned her to Lito, he had assured him he would find out more about her, “So he convinced Hernando to tell him where I could find you.”

 

“That’s very creepy.” She told him and her frown deepened.

 

“I’m aware of that. If you want me to leave, I will.” 

 

Kala was tempted to do so, usually it wasn’t something she would have appreciated, but she didn’t want him to go. Seeing him again, listening to his voice, only made her realize how much she had thought about him the past month. How much she had missed him.

 

“It’s ok.” She looked down and said sheepishly, “You thought about me all this time?”

“Yes, of course.”

 

She felt relieved, she had shamed herself for feeling his absence so strongly, after all they had spent only one night together, but knowing he had felt the same way made her incredibly happy and she couldn’t deny that.

 

“I was a bit disappointed when I woke up and you were gone,” Wolfgang’s voice was slightly annoyed, “I thought you had enjoyed our night as much as I had done.”

 

“I did!” Kala reassured him and blushed at her enthusiasm.

“Then why did you leave without saying goodbye?”

She didn’t think about her answer and the lie came out of her mouth before she could stop herself, “I had to go to work.”

 

“On a Sunday?” He raised one eyebrow suspiciously.

“Yes. I work at a pharmacy, remember?”

 

Kala knew exactly why she was lying to him; she was afraid of how he would react at the mention of her son. During her years as a single mother she had gone to a few dates －after much insistance from Daniela －and most of the times, these men’s behavior had changed immediately after finding out about Aditya.

She didn’t want to risk that with Wolfgang. Not yet.

 

“I left a note.”

Wolfgang smirked as he remembered it and dimples appeared on the sides of his mouth.

“ _ Thank you for the fun time, that was super cool. See you around. I think. Probably, yes. - Kala. _ ” He repeated what she had written with a teasing tone.

 

She blushed furiously and hid her face with her hands, “Isn’t that what people do the morning after a one-night stand?”, she mumbled.

 

“Not me, at least. I usually say goodbye before leaving.”

“I’m sorry. You were sleeping so peacefully, I didn’t want to wake you up.” 

Wolfgang shrugged, “It’s alright. We’re here now.” he hesitated before gently touching her hand, not wanting to make her uncomfortable, “And we can have a brand new start. If you want.”

 

Kala let herself get lost in his eyes for a few seconds before looking away and started pondering their situation; she wanted to know him better, she wanted him to know her better, she genuinely enjoyed his presence and, if she had to be completely honest with herself, it had been the best sex she had ever had. With him, she had felt more powerful and wanted than with anyone else.

 

But she had someone else to think about other than herself: Aditya. 

What was the wisest decision? She asked herself. Her entire days, her entire life revolved around her son and she never complained about it, he was her joy. How would Wolfgang deal with that? She knew he had good intentions but he was infatuated with the idea of her, with the sexy, carefree Kala he had met one night at the club. 

She doubted he wanted to get involved in a little child’s life and she had to protect her son, she didn’t want Aditya to grow fond of him only to see him disappear from their lives once he got tired of the Stepfather role.

 

With an heavy heart, she said: “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Wolfgang. It started as a one-night stand and it should stay that way.”

 

Sadness and disappointment briefly appeared on Wolfgang’s face but he hid his feelings immediately and nodded, his face completely blank.

“I understand.”

 

Kala checked her clock and realized her lunch break was almost over, she stood up and gave him a little smile, “I’m sorry I have to go back to work.”

 

“It’s ok, have a good afternoon.” 

“Thank you, you too.” She resisted the sudden urge to kiss him on the cheek and started walking away.

 

“Kala, wait.” He followed her and she turned around to look at him.

“Here,” he gave her a small piece of paper, “In case you change your mind. I won’t bother you anymore.”

She glanced down and her eyes widen in surprise when she read his phone number, she wanted to say something but when she looked up he was already walking out the door.

He smirked one last time before leaving and she didn’t bother to stop the foolish smile that appeared on her face.

 

* * *

 

“So, he tells you he can’t stop thinking about you after one single fuck and you told him to fuck off?” Daniela points at her incredulously with her glass of red wine.

 

Kala shushed her angrily and looked over the living room to assure herself Aditya hadn’t listened to any of it. 

He hadn’t. He was laying on the ground coloring his latest drawing and he sang along his favorite movie, The Jungle Book. He, quite honestly, didn’t care about anything else but his little world in that moment.

 

“I didn’t tell him  _ that _ , I politely told him we shouldn’t see each other again, romantically speaking..” Kala remarked, defending herself.

 

“Oh, spare me Kala. You’ve been incredibly horny since that night, don’t lie to me.”

“Daniela!”

“What? I’m your best friend, I know these kind of things.”

 

Kala sighed and took a big sip of her glass of wine. She almost found her situation amusing; her, a single mom drinking wine before dinner with her best friend while they talked about sex, and her son in the living room unaware of anything. For so long, she had dedicated her life to being a mother that she had forgotten how all that felt. She felt like one of these soap operas characters she saw on television.

 

“Listen, Dani, the last thing I need right now is a man.”

Daniela rolled her eyes, “Please, that’s exactly what you need right now.”

“It is not.” Kala pouted and frowned, suddenly feeling attacked.

“Why did you lie to him? Why are you lying now?”

 

Kala bit her lower lip and stayed quiet, her answer written all over her face.

“Oh my god. Is this about Adi?” Daniela asked her but didn’t even wait for her possible answer, “It is! Kala!”

 

“What?” She huffed and hastily drank her wine.

“You can’t do that, it’s not right for you.” Daniela touched her arm and shook her head.

“You deserve to have someone by your side, by Adi’s side.”

“I barely know him.” Kala said and glanced towards her son again. 

 

There weren’t any walls between the living room and the kitchen, it was all one big open space, so she had a clear vision of him whenever she cooked or, like in this case, talked to someone.

 

Kala looked fondly at her son, smiling to herself when she saw him imitating Baloo’s dance and voice.

“Give him a chance, at least.” Daniela said softly to her. 

She had never mentioned her dreams to her best friend or said his name out loud but she had spent a lot of time daydreaming since that night and Daniela must have noticed that.

 

Maybe she was right, Kala thought. 

Maybe she would let him prove himself and only when she was sure he had good intentions, she could talk about her son to him and introduce him.

If he had been any other man, she wouldn’t have considered it. But she had felt a connection with Wolfgang, a connection that went deeper than simple sexual attraction, and she desperately wanted to believe he could be the right man for her.

 

With one deep breath she took her phone from the kitchen counter and his number from her purse, “I will. I will handle this slowly and carefully.”

Daniela clapped enthusiastically and kissed her on the cheek.

“You’re doing the right thing, my friend. You have to listen to what your heart and your clit say to you.”

Kala chuckled, shook her head playfully and put the phone on her ear, waiting for him to pick up.

 

“Hello?” Her breath hitched at the sound of his voice. 

She waved her hand at Daniela to send her away from the kitchen and her friend glared at her before she left, giving her the privacy she needed.

 

“Hello Wolfgang, it’s me. Kala.” 

“Kala.” she could hear the smile in his voice as he said her name.

She played with a strand of her hair nervously, not sure of what she should say, “How was your day?”

 

“Tiring. Yours?” 

“Mine as well, but I’m finally at home.” Kala exhaled, closed her eyes and said rapidly, “I was thinking about what you told me today. And I realized that’s not what I want, at all. So, if you’re still interested of course, I would like very much to know you better.”

 

Wolfgang stayed quiet and the silence only made her more nervous, was it possible that he had changed his mind?

“Are you asking me out?” She could picture the smirk on his face in her mind.

“... Yes.”

 

“Great. See you tomorrow at the coffee shop at the same time?” 

Kala instinctively nodded, “Yes. Yes.”

“Can’t wait to see you.” Wolfgang flirted shamelessly.

She was thankful he couldn’t see the deep blush of her cheeks or hear how fast her heart was beating.

“Goodnight.” She whispered.

“Goodnight, Kala.”

 

Kala ended the call and leaned on her kitchen counter, she closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath. 

Never in her life someone had such effect on her; she couldn’t recognize herself when she thought of him, she was scared of the feelings he ignited so easily in her and wondered if this was a good idea, after all. 

She was about to let herself go once again and she knew exactly where this situation was leading her to.

 

* * *

 

 

Kala kept staring at the coffee shop’s door, waiting for him to come through it. 

She had spent more time in front of the mirror that day and had chosen her favorite dress to wear; however, when she had realized what she was doing, she had tried to stop worrying about her looks and decided that he had to like her as she was.

 

But in that moment, as she was waiting for him, she was feeling self-conscious again. Luckily for her, he finally arrived and all her insecurities vanished as she saw him standing by the door, looking for her.

 

She waved at him to catch his attention and immediately noticed the way his light blue eyes lit up when their gazes met. 

Wolfgang walked towards the table and sat in front of her, “Hey. I know I’m late, I’m sorry. The traffic was a fucking nightmare.” 

 

“It’s alright, I haven’t been here long.” She smiled at him.

His eyes studied her appearance and he grinned, “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you,” she replied shyly and pointed at the menu above the counter, “You should choose what you would like to eat so I can go order it.”

 

“Do you already know?”

“Yes. A Chicken & Avocado sandwich.”

He looked attentively at the menu before nodding and standing up, “I will order it for you.” and went to the counter before she could say anything.

 

When Wolfgang came back with their food she mumbled “I would have paid for that.”

“It’s our first date and I thought it was a nice gesture.” he shrugged, “You can pay me back if you want.”

She laughed at his bluntness and shook her head, “No, thank you. I will accept the free lunch this time.”

 

Kala let out a small moan of appreciation as she took the first bite of her sandwich and he couldn’t help but grin amusedly at her reaction. 

She blushed immediately and covered her mouth with her hands, “Sorry, this is simply delicious.”

 

He smiled fondly at her, “You have a bit of mayonnaise there,” he indicated the corner of her mouth and wiped the sauce off with his thumb.

She avoided eye-contact and thanked him.

 

“Do you work nearby?” Kala asked him, eager to know more about him and his life. She thought he knew more about her than she did about him and she needed to change that.

 

“About an hour from here.”

“What do you do?” 

“I own a pub with my friend Felix.” He answered and took a sip from his glass of water.

“Oh,” Kala said, quite surprised, “That sounds entertaining.”

“Not really, drunks are a pain in the ass. And I say this as someone that has been drunk numerous times in his twenty-eight years of life.”

 

“Perhaps someone else said the same thing about you.”

“Definitely.” He grinned at her and asked her, “Do you want to know something else?”

Kala nodded seriously, “Yes, but I’m trying to choose appropriate questions for a first date.”

His mouth turned up in a small smile as his eyes roamed over her, silently appreciating her beauty again.

“I have a question for you. Why did you think that a possible relationship between us was a bad idea?”

 

His question took her by surprise. She glanced down at her food and thought, once again, what she was willing to share with him.

 

“Someone broke my heart not too long ago,” Kala took a deep breath before continuing, “I thought I was in love with someone, as most young girls do, and I married him. Only to realize who he truly was months after.”

 

Wolfgang’s jaw clenched and she noticed the way his eyes darkened as she told him about her past, he leaned back on his chair and said seriously,“He didn’t deserve you.”

 

She raised her head to look directly at his eyes and frowned.

“How can you be so sure?”

 

His shoulders shrugged slowly, “It feels like I’ve known you all my life,” and added with a sincere smile, “It’s nothing I’m able to explain.”

 

Everything was happening so fast; they had seen each other only three times and the feeling that was growing in their hearts was born out of a night of passionate sex. The more she thought about it, the more she thought it was all too ridiculous to be true. But also too good.

As sudden and absurd his declaration could have sounded, it made sense to her somehow. And that was all it mattered.

 

“I feel the same exact way, I do.”  Kala held his hand in hers and they stared at each other, their eyes communicating everything they were too apprehensive to say.

 

* * *

 

Their first lunch certainly hadn’t been the last one. Once their simple date had come to an end, Wolfgang had approached her boldly and asked her if they could have repeated it the day after.

His body had been so close to hers and his lips had looked so tempting that she didn’t hesitate to agree.

He had smiled then, a little grin that showed the right amount of satisfaction and happiness, and let his lips gently touch her cheek. 

  
  


They had lunch together everyday for a week; after their second date at the coffee shop they had decided to change and went to a few restaurants.

She had taken him to her favorite Indian restaurant where he had tried the dishes that reminded her of her family and her childhood.

Wolfgang had been genuinely curious about her family but every time she had asked him about his he answered very vaguely and quickly changed topic.

She hadn’t been bothered by it, after all she had tried to avoid any conversation that could have led her to accidentally talk about her son.

 

Their unexpected bond was cherished by both of them and they seemed to walk carefully around it, trying not to say anything that could have upset or scare the other.

 

On the weekends, they spent all day on the phone since they were both too busy to see each other; Wolfgang with his work at the pub and Kala with Aditya.

 

Wolfgang was the first one to text that Sunday morning; they had last spoken the evening before, when he had been about to start his shift at the pub and she had arrived home from Aditya’s football practice, they had been both so busy that their conversation had been brief.

 

**Wolfgang, 9.34 am:**

_ Good morning. _

 

**Kala, 9.36 am:**

_ Good morning :) How was your shift last night? _

 

**Wolfgang, 9.37 am:**

_ Better than I had expected. How was your night? Did you go to the cinema like you wanted to? _

She bit her lower and pulled her bed sheets tighter around her body. She hated lying to him.

 

**Kala, 9.43 am:**

_ No, something came up with my sister and I couldn’t go _

 

**Wolfgang, 9.45 am:**

_ We could go to together this week. Thursday night? _

 

Kala almost typed an instinctive “Yes.” but quickly remembered Aditya’s school trip.

 

**Kala, 9.46 am:**

_ I can’t… what about Wednesday night? ;) _

 

**Wolfgang, 9.47 am:**

_ Perfect. _

 

She was about to put her phone on her nightstand when it vibrated again. 

 

**Wolfgang, 9.50 am:**

_ What are you doing? _

 

**Kala, 9.50 am:**

_ Nothing, just laying on bed, you? _

**_Wolfgang, 9.52 am:_ **

_ I’m laying on my bed as well. I’ve had a restless night and I couldn’t sleep. _

 

**Kala, 9.52 am:**

_ How so? _

 

**Wolfgang, 9.53 am:**

_ I was thinking about you. _

 

Kala smiled at his words and looked at the ceiling, suddenly feeling like a teenager experiencing her first love story.

It was embarrassing how easily he could make her smile and blush.

She took a deep breath and boldly wrote her next text.

 

**Kala, 9.54 am:**

_ Could you be more precise? _

 

**Wolfgang, 9.55 am:**

_ Your lips, your hair, your laugh, your body. Everything. _

 

She knew exactly where this was going to. Not that she had ever done anything like this, she had never felt the need to do it with her husband; perhaps because their relationship had gotten sexual only after their marriage and they had never done anything other than the regular, monotone sex. 

 

She had enjoyed having sex with Sanjay, but she hadn’t tried to keep things interesting, she had thought they had both been satisfied with their sex life.

Only after he had started having mistress she had realized how wrong she had been.

 

**Wolfgang, 9.57 am:**

_ I still remember our night, very clearly. _

 

Kala wanted him to keep going, to write to her the things she wanted so badly to hear. But she knew two had to play at that game.

 

**Kala, 9.59 am:**

_ I think it’s impossible to forget, don’t you agree? _

 

**Wolfgang, 10.00 am:**

_ I do. _

_ After you left that morning, I wanted to know if I had given you the night you wanted. I know it didn’t fail my expectations. _

 

**Kala, 10.03 am:**

_ You did, it was even better than I could have expected. I’m glad I listened to my friend’s advice and went home with you. _

 

**Wolfgang, 10.05 am:**

_ We could always do that again, whenever you want. _

 

**Kala, 10.06 am:**

_ Haha. Are you always so straight-forward? _

 

**Wolfgang, 10.06 am** **_:_ **

_ Only when I know what I want. _

 

**Kala, 10.08 am:**

_ And what do you want? _

 

**Wolfgang, 10.08 am:**

_ You. _

 

Kala took a deep breath and glanced at the door, trying to remember if she had locked it the night before －the last thing she wanted was Aditya or Daya bursting into her room.

Aditya had been exhausted the night before and he always slept until noon after his Saturday practice so she wasn’t as nervous as she would have felt any other day.

 

She felt slightly embarrassed at what they were about to do but, oddly enough for her, she was suddenly curios and eager to try it for the first time. And Wolfgang made her feel so comfortable with her own sexuality that it felt easier, normal.

 

**Kala, 10.12 am:**

_ I’ve been dreaming about that night. _

 

**Wolfgang, 10.12 am:**

_ What kind of dreams? _

 

She snorted and shook her head, amused; he knew exactly what kind of dreams but wanted her to write the actual words.

 

**Kala, 10.15 am:**

_ The kind of dreams you don’t want to end. _

 

**Wolfgang, 10.16 am:**

_ Interesting. Tell me more. _

 

**Kala, 10.19 am:**

_ Sometimes they are very brief, it’s just us talking or kissing. Other times, they last longer and are more explicit. We’re having sex and it all feels too real, from the way the room looks to the way our bodies move together. _

 

After sending the text, she read it over and over again, wondering if it was too late to delete it. She almost turn off her phone, ready to pretend nothing had happened, when he texted her back.

 

**Wolfgang, 10.21 am:**

_ Do we do the same things we did that night? Or some particular fantasy of yours? _

 

**Kala, 10.23 am:**

_ It depends on how much I’ve thought about us during the day _

 

**Wolfgang, 10.24 am:**

_ I must admit I’ve had the same experience, lately.  _

_ But my dreams are more focused on what I would like to do to you, not what I’ve already done. _

 

**Kala, 10.25 am:**

_ What would you like to do to me? _

 

She asked instinctively and a tiny smile appeared on her smile, she was loving how bold she was feeling and enjoyed this new side of her personality. For the first time in her life, she felt truly herself and not ashamed of her own private thoughts.

“Dani must be proud”, she thought and bit her lower lip.

 

**Wolfgang, 10.29 am:**

_ I would start kissing you, slowly, as if we had all the time in the world instead of only a few hours. You would press your body closer to mine while you sucked on my tongue, like you did so often that night, and my cock would twitch at the sound of your moans. _

 

Kala’s eyes widen as she read his words, her legs opened slightly and breathing quickened. Suddenly, the air in her room felt suffocating.

She was thinking about what she wanted to reply when her phone’s screen lit up again.

 

**Wolfgang, 10.33 am:**

_ Your lips would be so swollen, you would smile at me with your eyes closed and run your fingers through my hair as I start kissing and biting your neck.  _

_ I would squeeze your breasts and suck on your nipples, enjoying the feeling of them in my hands and the way you would whisper my name, begging me to move my mouth further down. _

 

**Kala, 10.33 am:**

_ I would. _

 

She slowly pushed her pyjama top up and laid an hand on her stomach, she brushed her fingers up and down her skin, and with the slightest hesitation, she touched her breasts as Wolfgang would have done.

 

**Wolfgang, 10.36 am:**

_ I want to kiss and lick my way down your body, feel you trembling under me with want, hear your voice break every time you tell me to stop teasing you. I would stop eventually, too eager to finally taste your pussy.. That’s one of the things I regret not doing that night. _

 

Kala inhaled and took off her pyjama pants as well; she closed her eyes as her bare skin came in contact with the softness of her sheets and she didn’t have to touch herself to know she was wet.

She held her breath and pushed her hand further down her body, －she could almost pretend Wolfgang was right there, with her, his hands touching her as she craved to be touched.

Her eyes snapped open and read his new text.

 

**Wolfgang, 10.39 am:**

_ I would use my fingers first. First one and then another. I want to thrust them slowly inside you and feel you clench around them. And you would grip the sheets with your hands and bit your lips when I start pushing them inside and out of you. _

 

With her right hand she started doing the exact same thing, her fingers felt softer than Wolfgang’s would have but her imagination was vivid enough to convince her it was him who was touching her.

 

And with her left hand she tried to reply to his texts, suddenly wanting him to know what effect his words had on her.

 

**Kala, 10.40 am:**

_ My fingers almost feel as good as yours would _

 

**Wolfgang, 10.41 am:**

_ I could say the exact same thing right now. _

 

Kala blushed as she wondered if he was stroking himself in that moment; the thought sent shivers down her spine and she remembered how hard his cock had felt in her hands. With that particular thought in mind, she increased the pace of her own movements.

 

**Wolfgang, 10.43 am:**

_ Before you realize it, I switch my fingers with my tongue.  _

_ I lick your folds, my hands gripping your thighs, and you moan my name over and over again as I ravish you. _

 

She almost let her phone fall down on her bed, she wanted to close her eyes again and focus entirely on her own pleasure, on the pressing tension that was building in her body. She had never wanted anyone like she wanted Wolfgang in that moment.

 

**Kala, 10.44 am:**

_ I’m almost there. _

 

**Wolfgang, 10.44:**

_ Are you biting your lower lip as you do when you’re trying to be quiet? _

 

**Kala, 10.44 am:**

_ Yes. _

 

**Kala, 10.45 am:**

_ Are you… hard? _

 

She shook her head and gulped nervously; he could write the dirtiest things to her and she couldn’t even ask him if was turned on without feeling embarrassed. As much as she was enjoying it all, she was scared she would say something wrong and ruin the mood for both of them, so she let him take the lead.

Kala thought she had overstepped some imaginary line and was about to write him again when he sent her a photo.

 

She let out a surprised gasp and looked closer to her phone’s screen to get a better look; he was even bigger than she remembered and she couldn’t deny the relief she felt in that moment, he was enjoying it as much as she was.

She smiled sheepishly and decided to do something she would have never done before that moment. Take a similar photo of herself.

 

She sent it to him and he replied in less than minute.

 

**Wolfgang, 10.49 am:**

_ Fuck. _

 

**Kala, 10.50 am:**

_ I’m glad to know you’re having as much fun as I am. _

 

**Wolfgang, 10.50 am:**

_ What can I say, the idea of eating you out makes me unsurprisingly hard. _

 

They kept going then; he told her every single thing he would have done to her with his mouth and admitted how much he loved the sounds she made, he was shameless with his own desires and made it clear to her that she was the main and only protagonist of his sexual fantasies.

 

Kala tried to imitate the acts he was describing with her fingers. She increased the rhythm, rotated them and pulled them out when he said so. And when he told her how he would finish her off by paying particular attention to her clit, she finally came and muffled her final scream with her pillow.

 

She wanted to tell him how hard he had made her come but just when she was about to start typing, a loud knock on her door destroyed the entire atmosphere they had created.

 

“MAMA!!!!! The sun is outside!! I’m up!!!!” Aditya screamed from the other side of her door and she heard the annoyance in his voice.

 

Kala let out a groan and closed her eyes. She tried to reply quickly to Wolfgang but Aditya knocked even louder seconds after.

 

“Mama wake up!” He whined, too hungry to be patient.

With a sigh and a calm voice she said, “In a minute, darling.”

 

She got up, wiped her hand clean with a towel, fixed her clothes and opened the door. 

Aditya stared at her in his Dinosaurs pyjamas with a pout on his mouth and his eyebrows furrowed, his deep brown eyes were almost glaring at her.

“I’m very hungry Mama, the most hungry.”

 

Kala tried not to smile at her son, knowing that it would only upset him more, and pointed towards the living room. 

“Can you wait five more minutes and watch the tv while I take a quick shower?”

 

He took a deep, exaggerated sigh and shook his head disapprovingly; he was only five years old but he had quite the temper, especially when he was hungry.

 

“Ok…” Aditya walked slowly towards the couch, his head hung in desolation, and laid down on it.

 

Kala laughed softly and rushed towards the bathroom with her phone in her hands. She sent Wolfgang a final text and got into the shower.

 

* * *

 

 

The day after they had to meet outside his favorite Chinese restaurant for their lunch, it had been less than a month and it already felt like a tradition to them.

When Kala arrived, he was already in front of the restaurant waiting for her. She hesitated before approaching him, not entirely sure how she should act after what had happened the day before. 

 

She walked towards him and waved shyly, Wolfgang’s eyes seemed to sparkle as he stared at her and a small smile appeared on his lips.

He got closer to her and confidently put an hand on her waist, “Hey.”

 

“Hi.” She said and avoided to look at him in the eyes. 

Wolfgang touched her cheek and tilted her chin up with his index finger, his eyes fixed on hers.

 

He held her face in his hands and pressed his mouth into hers. It was the first time they kissed since that night and it was gentle, tender. They certainly felt a very strong sexual pull between them but it was more than that, so much more.

They kissed for various minutes, his hands eventually moved from her face to her hair and she relaxed against his body.

 

Wolfgang bit her lower lip as they broke the kiss and laughed softly when she grunted in disappointment; if it had been up to her, they would have kissed all day.

  
  
  


 

* * *

 

 

“I packed your sunscreen, just in case,” Kala said as she checked Aditya’s backpack again.

“Sunscreen?” Hernando mouthed to Daniela perplexed and she just shrugged, used to Kala overthinking everything.

 

Aditya wasn’t listening to his mother at all, he was already putting his shoes on in front of the door, “Can we pretty please go?!”

He was very excited to leave for his school field trip, mainly because he couldn’t wait to see all the animals his teachers had talked about.

 

Kala sighed and looked over Hernando, Daniela and Daya; Aditya had wanted to see all of them before his mother dropped him off at his school.

 

Hernando was the first one to walk towards him and hug him tightly.

“Behave, don’t drive your teachers crazy and draw me all the animals you see, alright buddy?”

Aditya nodded solemnly, a very determined look on his tiny face.

 

Daniela picked him up and kissed his cheeks, making him laugh, “Stop Auntie!” he said between the laughs.

She let him down and hugged him just as tightly as Hernando had done. “Have fun cari ño, I want you to tell me everything you see and learn!”, she kissed his cheek again and he smiled softly at her.

Daya’s goodbye to him was the shortest one, they had spent the night before watching his favorite movies together and she had told him everything then. Besides, he would be gone for only one night and she didn’t want to make him nervous with a dramatic goodbye.

  
  


When Kala and Aditya reached his school, all the children were already waiting next to the bus, ready to leave.

Aditya had spent the entire ride from home singing, carefree as ever, but the look on his face changed as he saw all the parents hugging their children and saying goodbye.

Nervously, he got out of the car and walked towards his classmates, holding his mother’s hand tightly.

 

“This is where we separate, Adi.” She squeezed his hand and frowned when she saw his body stiffen, “What’s wrong?”

 

Aditya turned towards her slowly, his eyes looking down and murmured “I do not wanna leave you.”

Her heart contracted at the sound of his voice and she suddenly wanted to take him back home.

 

Kala crouched down to look at him in the eyes and gently fixed his hair, “Sweetheart, you will have fun with your friends. You will see all the animals you want to see, remember how excited you were when the teacher told us you will feed a horse?”

 

He nodded weakly, “But I want you to come.” he sobbed.

“You will back here tomorrow,  _ bandar _ , and you will tell me all about it over a big slice of pizza, what do you say?” Kala caressed his face and smiled broadly at him, trying to convince him she would still be there when he came back.

 

Aditya’s eyes seemed to brighten up at that and he nodded more enthusiastically but his pout was still intact on his mouth, “You will miss me?”

She laughed and playfully pinched his cheeks as she often did, “Of course!”

“Good!” He threw his arm around her neck and hugged her tightly, “Love you Mama.”

 

Kala closed her eyes and pressed him closer to her, suddenly overwhelmed by the unconditional love she felt for her son.

 

“Main tumse pyar karthee hoon, pyaare bete.”

He was the one to end the hug and she kissed him on his cheek, on his forehead, “Have fun, Adi, and be a good boy.”

Aditya chuckled and patted her cheek, “I always am!”, she hugged him one final time before he ran towards his teachers.

But as he was getting on the bus, he turned around and waved at her with a huge grin on his mouth.

 

Kala laughed and blew him a kiss; she sighed deeply as she saw the bus leaving the school’s parking lot and bit her lips, her eyes filled with tears. She already missed him.

 

* * *

 

 

“I saw the trailer weeks ago and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.” Kala told Wolfgang as they sat on their seats, her hands were holding a bowl of popcorns while he had the beverages. 

 

“What is it about again?” 

“The life of Stephen Hawking!” She answered slightly annoyed, “He’s one of my greatest inspirations, that man’s mind is simply out of the world.”

 

Wolfgang stared at her as she started talking about him and his scientific discoveries, smiling slight to himself; in the past two weeks he had realized she always got a special smile on her face when she talked about science and her voice would get higher and faster. He doubted she noticed it but he did and couldn’t take his eyes off of her during these moments.

 

The movie started and Kala immediately stopped talking, she watched the screen attentively, her hand slowing putting popcorn in her mouth.

He tried to pay attention to the movie but his gaze inevitably moved to look at her; he studied her face carefully and felt the sudden need to kiss her. And he did.

 

Kala giggled against his lips at the unexpected kiss and moved away, scared someone could see them, “We’re at the movies, Wolfgang!” she whispered.

“It’s too dark for anyone to see us and the room isn’t even full.” He shrugged and looked around.

 

She looked back at the screen, ready to ignore him, and he moved his mouth closer to her neck. Kala tried to remain still but he could feel her tremble as he kissed and bit her neck, she sighed and sat more comfortably on the seat.

 

“We shouldn’t be doing this, we’re not teenagers.”

“And?”

 

Wolfgang kissed her again, his hands buried in her curls, his tongue slowly meeting hers in lazy circles. She kissed him back just as passionately and they made out in the darkness of the room for several minutes.

Their hands touched each other with a certain desperation that promised a later encounter and Kala moaned quietly at the thought of spending another night in his bed.

 

She was completely lost in their kiss but her eyes snapped open when he grabbed her breasts through her sweater; not that she particularly minded that action, but she knew they had to stop right there before losing all their self-control.

 

Kala broke the kiss, smiled playfully and murmured, “I really want to watch the movie.”

He shook his head and distanced himself from her, his hands subtly covering the bulge in his jeans.

 

She kissed him quickly on the cheek and laid her head on his shoulder, smiling contently when he started playing with her hair.

 

They might have not been teenagers, but he certainly made her feel like one.

 

* * *

 

 

When they entered his apartment, he told her to make herself comfortable on the couch while he poured something to drink in the kitchen.

 

Kala sat on the couch, noticing immediately that it was softer than she had thought, and looked over his living room; nothing had changed during the past month and the feeling of relief she felt surprised her.

 

“I hope you don’t mind beer,” he said as he handed her a bottle.

She shook her head and took a sip, “It’s not my favorite but it’s not a problem.”, she immediately put the bottle on the coffee table in front of them and he shook his head amusedly.

 

“I’m… I’m happy to be back here.” She said coyly and glanced at him, “It seems like I’ve been waiting for this for years.”

 

Wolfgang went closer to her, his sudden proximity made her blush and she felt her stomach twist with anticipation; she closed her eyes as his lips got near hers, “This is where you should be.” he murmured against her lips and kissed her deeply just like he had done at the cinema.

 

Kala didn’t hesitate to grab his hair and pull him even closer to her, they kissed passionately and frantically, both of them had been waiting so long for this moment that they didn’t want to miss a second. She knew that it would have been a long time before she would have the chance to spend the entire night with him again and wanted to enjoy it.

 

Wolfgang interrupted the kiss to take off her sweater and her bra, and she did the same with him; his hands roamed all over her body, from her face to her breast, and he started kissing her neck.

“All the things I wrote to you,” he said between kisses, “were true. I want to do every single thing. Tonight.”

 

Kala closed her eyes and threw her head back, she angled her neck to give him better access and slowly laid down on the couch.

“Take off your pants,” she murmured in his ears and he did, but not before taking off hers.

Wolfgang sat on his knees in front of her and gazed down her body, his eyes were filled with want and appreciation, “Fuck, you just keep getting more beautiful.”

 

She chuckled softly, her blush covering her cheeks and the top of her breasts, and pulled him back down to kiss him, eager to feel his tongue against hers once again.

 

His left hand moved down and cupped her left breast while his mouth found the nipple of the other; he alternated between flicking his tongue across it and sucking it, only stopping when she groaned loudly. She was already tired of the teasing and he knew that well.

“What?” he asked innocently, a devious smirk on his lips.

“You know what.” 

Wolfgang looked up at her, his head between her breasts, and shrugged casually, “Maybe if you ask nicely.”

“I thought you wanted this as much as I did.”

He grinned and started kissing his way down her body, just like he had wrote to her.

Kala opened her legs for him and raised her hips to take off her panties, with one finger he touched her folds, his eyes immediately looking for hers when he realized how wet she was already.

 

She blushed and didn’t mutter a word, she simply spread her legs even further and encouraged him to keep going.

 

Wolfgang started kissing her inner thighs as his fingers kept sliding inside and out of her, he could hear her breathing accelerate and he added one more finger inside of her. He increased the pace and the pressure of his touch, suddenly he laid two fingertips on her clit but quickly pulled them away.

 

“Wh-” She was ready to whine and complain, and perhaps tell him something not really polite, when his mouth finally touched her where she craved it the most.

Her entire body trembled  at the feeling of his tongue inside of her and didn’t even bother to stop the loud moan that came out of her mouth; she ran her fingers through his hair, pulling him even closer to her sex, and her back arched.

 

Wolfgang closed his eyes as he ravished her. Her taste, her moans, her smell; everything was better than he had ever imagined and he desperately tried to keep control over himself, he thought he could come just by listening to the sounds she made. He even stopped to voice his thoughts to her and that only made her louder.

 

Kala felt closer and closer to climax, her entire being focused on the way his tongue felt against his clit; sometimes he rubbed it with the flat of the tongue, only to suck it into his mouth right after. 

She was ready to let herself go, ready to completely abandon herself to pure pleasure; her legs tightened around his shoulder as her moans turned into screams, her hair pulling his hair harshly.

 

Right on the edge of the cliff, when she was seconds away from falling down, he slid two fingers inside her again as he kept licking her clit, pushing them inside and out of her harder than ever.

Shivers ran down her spine as she came, a sudden warmth overwhelmed her and she felt a delicious tingling throughout her body; all she could feel was the strength of her orgasm.

 

Wolfgang licked his fingers clean, a small arrogant smile on his lips, and moved to kiss her deeply. She could have never thought the taste of herself on a man’s mouth could turn her on so much, she just had an orgasm but was already craving for more.

 

Kala took off his underwear and stroke his hard cock as he kept kissing her with wild lust.

“I want you inside me.” She moaned into his ear and he groaned in response, he lifted her hips and, without any kind of hesitation, slammed inside of her forcefully.

Their bodies started moving together, in a perfect rhythm, so incredibly in-sync with each other as their sweaty bodies slapped together and the scent of their arousal filled the room.

They kissed, pulled, screamed, groaned without a care in the world; it was just them and their raw, genuine connection, nothing else mattered.

 

She stared at his face as he pounded into her; his brows were furrowed, his eyes were closed tightly, the muscle of his jaw clenched with pleasure, she saw a single drop of sweat drip down his neck and felt the urge to lick it. And she did.

 

“You feel so fucking good,” he said, moaning against his lips. His hands grabbed her legs and he held them up to thrust into her from a better angle. 

He thrust harder and harder into her, with her names on her lips, and she left marks on his shoulders with every powerful thrust.

 

Kala knew he was close, she could see it by the way he shuddered, and reached around him to grab his ass with her hands; she deliberately clenched around him, the muscles of her pussy tightening around his cock, and sucked on his neck.

 

“Fuck, fuck,” Wolfgang repeated and in his last moment of clarity, he slid a hand between her bodies to stimulate her clit with his finger once again. He was determined to make her come first.

His mouth found hers once again and he bit her lower lip as he thrusted inside of her and played with her clit.

“W-Wolfgang.  _ Yes _ ,  _ Yes _ .” She stuttered between her moans.

“Come, Kala. Come for me again, babe.”

It didn’t take long before she reached her climax once again, screaming his name for all the neighbours to hear, and then, only then, Wolfgang came inside of her, howling against her chest.

 

He laid on top of her on the couch as they tried to catch their breaths, she stroke his back lazily and kissed his head, her legs still wrapped around his waist, holding him tightly against her. Not for the first time she thought she would have spent all her life with him, like this, if she could.

 

“Kala.” His body stiffen and he said seriously, an hint of worry in his voice.

“What?” She murmured.

“We didn’t use a condom.”

 

Kala bit her lip to stop herself from laughing at his very concerned voice, “I’m on the pill, don’t worry.” she reassured him and kissed his hair once again. 

Wolfgang seemed to relax at this and he slowly got up, “Let’s go to bed before we fall asleep here.” 

 

He helped her get up and they walked to his bedroom side by side, his arm around her shoulders.

 

They laid down his bed and she immediately hugged him, her cheek on his chest and her leg on his waist, sighing contently as she closed her eyes.

“You will be here tomorrow morning, I hope.” His tone is meant to be teasing but she notices his slight annoyance.

“Yes, darling.”

He made an approving sound and started playing with her curls; she fell asleep quickly, lulled by the feeling of his fingers gently touching her hair and the way his chest rose up and down her cheek, completely oblivious to what he said after.

 

* * *

 

 

Kala woke up first and decided to take a shower before he could wake up; she left the door of the bathroom open to let him know she was still in the apartment.

 

Wolfgang entered the bathroom minutes after when she was already covered with body soap, her phone vibrating in his hand and a small frown on his face; whoever was calling her clearly interrupted his rest and he didn’t seem to be pleased about it.

 

“Someone is calling you, babe.” He said grumply.

“Who?”

“Hernando.”

“Can you answer him and tell him I’m taking a shower?” 

He rolled her eyes playfully and she blew a kiss to him.

“You better wait for me.” Wolfgang pointed a finger at her and smirked maliciously before leaving the room to answer her call.

 

Minutes passed and Kala started shivering under the water, her eyes glanced at the door and she wondered why Wolfgang was taking so long.

Finally, she wrapped a towel around herself and went out looking for him.

“Hey.” She told him hesitantly.

He was fully clothed and was staring outside the window of his bedroom.

 

“Hernando said Aditya left his stuffed tiger in his apartment two days ago. He asked if you want him to bring it to your home before he returns from his school trip.”

 

Kala felt her blood turn into ice in that exact moment. The room suddenly looked bigger and he seemed miles away from her, her heartbeat throbbed loudly in her ears and a shiver run down her body.

She gasped, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to think about what she could say.

 

Wolfgang turned around to finally look at her and she was surprised to see the look on his face; his eyes were cold and distant, his mouth set on a straight line. 

She was so used to his kind eyes and soft smiles that the way he stared at her in that moment burned a hole in her chest.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me you had a son?” His voice was flat, completely emotionless.

Kala gulped and took a deep breath, “I was afraid,” she wet her lips, her eyes avoiding his, “Of you breaking up things between us. Or of you meeting him and then leaving.”

 

She heard him inhale loudly, take deep breaths, and say. “So you lied to me all this time? Every time you told me we couldn’t meet because you had to work? Or help you sister? All these fucking times, you stared right into my eyes and lied to me.”

 

“I’m sorry.” 

“You’re sorry?!” He repeated, snorted and laughed bitterly. 

His mocking tone made anger boil inside of her and she held her chin high, her eyes fixed in his and she clenched her fists.

“Yes, damn it! I’m sorry for lying but I’m not sorry for protecting my son!”

“Protect him from who? From me?” 

“YES!”

 

Wolfgang looked genuinely hurt from this but he quickly masked it, as he always did, and he shook his head in disbelief, “I’ve been completely honest about my feelings with you. In a way I’ve never been before, and you fucking do this.”

“Please. Let’s not act as if you would have still looked for me after that night if you had known I had a son.”

“You don’t fucking know that.” He clenches his jaw and she could see the vein throbbing in his neck.

“You wouldn’t! Or maybe you would have. I would have introduced you to my son and you would have left as soon as you got tired of having sex with me!” She pointed an accusing finger at him, her chests rising and falling quickly.

 

Wolfgang stiffened, his eyes narrowed, and he screamed at her, his mouth twisting with every word, “YOU DON’T KNOW ME AT ALL.”

“I don’t need to. I know how men like you act.”

“Men like me? What the fuck does that mean?”

“Men that have occasional fucks! Men that get what they want and leave the minute they found someone else! You all like to believe you’re different but at the end it’s not true, you’re all the same.”

 

He growls and his nostrils flared, “Why would you believe that of me? Why are you so fucking sure that I would leave you and him? Tell me. Fucking tell me.”

“BECAUSE HIS OWN FATHER DID THAT.” She screamed it inches away from his face, her voice quivering as she yelled with all her strength and all the pain she had hidden inside of her during the years.

 

He is taken away by her strong reply and simply stared at her, his eyes softening slightly. 

She let out a deep sigh and bit her lip as she tried to control her feelings, “He got tired of being a father before he even really started.”

“He left us when Aditya was not even three years old yet but he never was a parent. He never changed his diaper, never took him to the park or bought him a candy, he wasn’t there when he said his first words nor when he started walking.” Tears started falling down her face and she hugged herself, all these memories were still so vivid in her mind, and she wondered if she would ever truly get over it.

 

“My heart broke more and more every single day, not for me but for my son. I just wanted him to have a father that cared and loved him as much as I did. But when I realized he didn’t, I decided I would be enough for him. He wouldn’t need his love when he had mine.”

 

Kala’s chin quivered, her entire body trembled, as she wept her son’s loss. She had felt so lonely back then, so humiliated and deceived, her dreams of an happy family shattered because of a man that didn’t know how to cherish what he had.

 

“He is a piece of shit.” Wolfgang murmured and pulled her into a hug, he held her tightly against his chest, his arms wrapped around her small frame and he tried to comfort her as much as he could.

 

“I’m sorry for lying to you,” she said, sobbing in his arms, “If you want us to stop seeing each other, just say it.”

 

He looked down at her and caressed her damp hair, “Why would I want that? I’ve never met anyone like you.”

“I have a son, that’s not something we can ignore.”

“I’m sure he’s just as wonderful as his mother,” he delicately brushed his thumb against her cheek, “I’ll meet him whenever you’re ready, Kala.”

 

The way he said his name, so softly and tenderly, made her heart swell with love and adoration for him.

“I’m sorry for hurting you, I don’t think you’re like these men. Not anymore, at least,” she tried to laugh it off but her voice broke once again with guilt.

“Don’t worry about it, love.” Wolfgang kissed her chastely on the mouth before smiling at her, dimples on the corners of his mouth.

 

And as Kala stared deeply into his magnetic and sincere eyes, a warm feeling flowed into her chest and she felt invincible, cherished, respected; his mere presence was enough for her to feel calm and safe. And in that single moment, she realized she was falling in love with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Main tumse pyar karthee hoon, pyaare bete.” means "I love you, my sweet boy."... or so Google says.


	4. The Day He Met His Son

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kala finally introduces Wolfgang to Aditya.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably the sweetest, cheesiest chapter I've ever written and I apologize for that but it was stronger than me.  
> Lots of Dad!Wolfie feelings involved.

For two weeks after his field trip, Aditya couldn’t stop talking about all the animals he had seen and played with; “I ran with a dog for  _ houuurrsss _ ” _ ,  _ “I tried to touch a rabbit but it jumped and jumped!”, “I FED AN HORSE MAMA! A REAL HORSE!”, he would repeat every day and show his drawings to everyone.

 

And as if these weren’t enough, he had also taken lots of pictures with the camera Kala had given him; some of them were really good, she had to admit, while others consisted mainly of his finger in front of the lens and blurry faces of his classmates.

 

He had been the only child that showed true interest and respect for the animals, constantly asking questions and offering his help, and the teachers had congratulated Kala on that. Apparently he had particularly bonded with one of the farm’s dogs and he had been trying to convince his mother to adopt one ever since his return.

 

“I’ll clean him!!!” He whined as he walked through the supermarket aisle with his mother.

“I said no, Adi.” Kala picked a box of ice-creams from the refrigerator and stopped walking to check if she had everything she needed.

 

That night Aditya would stay at home with Hernando and Daniela while Kala had a dinner date with Wolfgang; Hernando had felt so guilty about revealing her secret to him that he had offered to babysit Aditya and Daniela had decided to go with him, stating that she hadn’t anything more interesting to do on a Friday night.

 

Kala had reluctantly accepted, worried that somehow Aditya would start noticing her leaving more often, but he had been so enthusiast to stay with his favorite uncle and aunt that she had relaxed immediately －the only thing he had asked her was to buy him his favorite ice-cream for dessert.

 

Aditya pouted and shook his head, “Dogs are our best friends, that’s what Herr Bachmann said.”

Herr Bachmann was the owner of the farm, the man that had taught the children about the plants and the animals, and Aditya spoke fondly of him.

 

“Our apartment is too small for a dog. He would destroy it in a minute and get bored all day alone.”

“Let’s get two so they can play together!.” He said as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.

 

Kala shook her head amusedly, “Absolutely not. We’re not getting a dog, end of the story.”

He sighed deeply and crossed his arms before walking away towards the candies’ aisle.

“Stay where I can see you, Aditya.”

 

He sighed again, loudly this time, and went back to her, standing by her side with an almost comical pout on his mouth, not muttering a word. That was his way to protest and throw a tantrum.

She didn’t particularly liked this behavior but was grateful he didn’t do it as often as other children and didn’t scream or cause a scene. 

Besides, she knew he would forget about his indignation and disappointment soon. Only to randomly remember it hours after and ask her the same question again.

 

* * *

 

 

“I didn’t know you liked to cook,” Kala teased him as she washed a dish.

Wolfgang shrugged casually, “It relaxes me.”

 

He had cooked seafood pasta for their romantic dinner, served along glasses of wine, and they had spent all the time eating and talking about everything and nothing, simply enjoying each other company.

 

She had insisted to clean and wash the dishes, since he had cooked, and he had let her, with the only condition that he had to dry them off.

 

“It’s the complete opposite for me,” she let out a low chuckle, “It stresses me out. I hate it. Which is ironic considering that my father is a cook.”

 

“He is?”

“Yes, he has a restaurant in Mumbai. He has a real talent.”

Her voice seemed to change when she talked about her family, it was warm but there was the slightest hint of sadness and he asked her if they had a good relationship.

 

“Yes. I’ve always been more of a Daddy’s girl whilst Daya has always been our mother’s favorite. We are a close family, well,  _ were.  _ Things changed when I got married.”

 

“How so?” Wolfgang frowned and dried a glass with a cloth.

 

“When things started to go wrong with Sanjay,” Kala sighed, “I didn’t say anything to my parents. I knew they suspected something but I kept saying everything was alright. I think they’re resentful that I didn’t confide in them, in a way.”

 

“You didn’t want to upset them.” He tried to comfort her, “When was the last time you saw them?”

 

“This June, they come to visit us once a year. They say they want to see all of us but we know they come for Adi.” She joked.

 

They were almost finished, she just needed to wash a pot, and they hurried; they both knew Kala had to go back home and they wanted to enjoy their last hour together.

 

“They spoil him so much. Especially my father, Adi has him wrapped around his little finger.” Kala laughed and shook her head fondly as she talked about her son.

 

Her mouth always curved slightly when she talked about him and her eyes seemed to soften, the love she felt for him was clear in the way she spoke of him and Wolfgang had come to love that in the previous two weeks.

 

“Well, if he’s just as adorable as his mother then I completely understand the feeling.” He teased her and playfully hits her butt with the cloth, making her blush.

 

Kala dried her hands and turned suddenly to wrap her arms around his neck, “I was thinking… before...”

He put his on her waist and pulled her closer to his body, “What?”

“You’ve never asked me to officially become your girlfriend.” She told him with a little teasing smile, feeling particularly giddy as she caressed the hair at the nape of his neck.

 

“Really? And what have you been this past month?”

“A friend, with whom you have  _ fun _ sometimes.”

 

Wolfgang chuckled and whispered seductively in her ear, “Will you, Kala Dandekar, officially become my girlfriend?”

His low voice sent a shiver down her spine, causing her whole body to tingle with sudden want, and she murmured, “I thought you’d never ask.”

They kissed passionately, their bodies pressed together and uttered pleased moans, losing themselves in the warm, powerful, feeling that filled their hearts whenever they were together.

 

* * *

 

 

Minutes after they were lying on the couch enjoying their last moments together for the day. Her head was on his chest as he laid behind her and their legs were intertwined under a heavy blanket.

She was changing tv channels with the remote, trying and failing to find something interesting to watch, when he suddenly said, “Two days ago you told me Aditya likes Disney movies,” he seemed to hesitate for a brief moment, “What’s his favorite?”

 

Kala craned her head to look at him and smile lovingly; ever since he had found out about Aditya, he had been asking questions about him, his personality and his hobbies. His genuine interest towards her son was one of the factors that made her think he truly might have been the right person for them, for her. Her heart seemed to be already convinced but her brain seemed to need a little push.

 

“The Jungle Book, for sure. He loves Aladdin and Mulan as well but he likes The Jungle Book the most, he says he would like to be Mowgli and live with the animals.”

 

Wolfgang smiled, his eyes still watching absently the television screen, “He loves animals and drawing, I remember that.”

 

She knew he remembered everything, every single detail she told him about her son, and that made her incredibly happy. It was something so simple yet so important for her.

 

“He plays football as well,” she said, trying to control her emotional voice, “Twice a week usually but sometimes he has practice on Saturday nights as well.”

 

“Does he like it?”

“Yes, he has fun.”

 

Kala cleared her throat, “I’m glad you’re so interest in him.”

He turned to look at her and gently moved a strand of her hair away from her face, “He sounds like a great kid.”

“He is. He’s sweet and funny. And charming, compassionate and beautiful.” she shook her head and smiled sheepishly, “Sorry. I sound like the typical annoying mother.”

 

“No, you don’t. You clearly love him very much and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

She took a few seconds to ponder her question, afraid that it could be a delicate subject for him.

“How is your relationship with your mother?” She hesitated. He’d never spoken about his parents and she had always wanted to ask.

 

Wolfgang averted his eyes, the look on his face changing as he tried to avoid her gaze.

“She had the kindest soul, too naive for her own good, but was truly the best mother I could have asked for.”

 

“What happened to her?” A murmur slipped out from her lips, she held his right hand in hers and caressed the palm.

“She died of cancer when I was sixteen.”

 

His voice was so filled with grief that she couldn’t stop the tears from falling down her cheeks; slowly she touched his cheek and made him look at her.

“I’m so sorry.” she said, her words sweet and caring.

He kissed her softly on the lips, “It’s alright.”

“No, it isn’t. But you had your father at least, right?”

 

Wolfgang snorted and smirked bitterly, “He died seven months after. Liver failure, from all his years of drinking.”

 

It didn’t take much for her to understand that his relationship with his father had been the complete opposite of the one he had with his mother and his eyes told her he preferred not to talk about it.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that. But you’re not alone now.”

“I know. I have you.” A tiny, meaningful smile appeared on his lips and she followed her urge to kiss him. It was a tender kiss, different from the ones they used to share, meant to show all their devotion and affection instead of lust and want.

 

She snuggled closer to his chest and closed her eyes, “I wish I could stay here with you, in your arms.”

“But you have to go.” He whispered against her hair.

“But I have to go.”

 

They stayed that way, cuddling under the warmth of the blanket, for a few more minutes, simply enjoying each other’s presence, before Kala had to go back to her son.

 

* * *

  
They were kissing each other goodbye in front of her building when a loud, enthusiastic voice interrupted them.

“WOLFGANG! My brother!” A tall, handsome, man approached them with a smile on his face.

 

Kala immediately noticed the brightness of his teeth and the beauty of his smile, his charm reminding her of a movie star.

 

“Lito.” Wolfgang greeted him with a nod, “What are you doing here?”

“Hernando asked me to pick him up here.” He shrugged as he looked at Kala.

 

She blushed, not used to strangers staring at her, and introduced herself, “I’m Kala Dandekar.”

 

Lito’s eyes widen and looked back and forth from her to Wolfgang, “You’re  _ that  _ Kala?” he grabbed her hand and shook it, “a pleasure to finally meet you! I’m Lito Rodriguez.”

 

“Thank you. It’s mine as well, I’ve heard much about you from Hernando.”

“I wish I could say the same thing,” he glared playfully at Wolfgang, “but my friend here isn’t much of a talker. I’m surprised I even know about your relationship.”

 

Wolfgang shook his head and shared a secretly smile with her.

“I knew it must have been important however because honestly, I’ve never seen him put so much effort in any relationship. Usually they end before you can even call them that.”

 

“Lito.” Wolfgang warned him with one single word.

He ignored him and kept talking animatedly, “I can’t wait to tell Felix I met you before he did.”

“Kala must go now, right?” Wolfgang sighed and pleaded her with his eyes.

 

She smirked and nodded, “Yes, I must. It was nice meeting you, Lito.”, she kissed Wolfgang on the cheek and opened the door. She didn’t miss the sweet, tiny smile on Wolfgang’s lips as Lito complimented her. And with a smile of her own on her face, she went up the building’s stairs.

  
  


When Kala opened the door to her apartment, she found Daniela, Hernando, Will and Riley sitting on the floor and Aditya sleeping on the couch.

 

“What’s this?” She crossed her arms and glanced at her sleepy friends.

Will stretched out his arms and yawned, “We found out that Daniela and Hernando were babysitting him and decided to visit.”

“And why are all of you on the floor?”

 

“He fell asleep about two hours ago and we didn’t want to move him.” Daniela sighed as she rubbed her eyes, having officially reached that point in her night where she didn’t care about her make-up anymore.

 

The living room was a mess, all of Aditya’s toys were on the floor, just like his crayons and watercolors. Thankfully, there were no stains on the carpet.

 

“Tell us about your hot date.” She asked her and stood up with everyone, quickly tidying up the room.

“Without explicit details, please.” Will grimaced and Kala shook her head.

“It was a sweet, romantic date. Nothing more.”

“So, no sex? Seriously?” Daniela’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Riley smiled and shrugged, “It’s completely possible to have a date without sex.” 

“Exactly. Thank you, Riley.”

“Of course it is but it’s not like she has lots of opportunities to have it so she should take advantage of that when she can.”

“I don’t want to talk about my sex life.” Kala narrowed her eyes and looked at Hernando, eager to change the topic of the conversation, “Lito is waiting for you downstairs.”

 

Hernando stopped what he was doing to fix his clothes nervously, and as Kala noticed his changed behavior at the mention of his boyfriend, she wondered if she acted the same way whenever someone mentioned Wolfgang.

 

“All of you should go, I will finish cleaning later or tomorrow.” She said and pushed him towards the door, whispering in his ear that he looked good and Lito would love him.

 

“I certainly hope Hernando will be luckier than you on his date.” 

“Bye, Daniela.” She opened the door and smiled affectionately at them, “Thank you so much everyone.”

 

As they closed the door behind them, Kala walked towards her sleeping son on the couch. She crouched down, gently caressed his hair and stared at his face, her eyes marveling at his sweet innocent beauty as they always did.

Kala picked him up slowly and she felt him stiffen in his sleep. 

“Mama?” He asked, his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes closed.

“Yes, sweetheart.” 

He relaxed immediately when he recognized his mother’s voice and laid his head on her shoulders as he tightened his arms around her neck.

 

She kissed his temple, her fingers stroking his back, and took him to his bedroom. As he asked her to stay with him on his small bed a little longer, with the small vulnerable voice children had, she felt her heart melt once more and hoped, not for the first time, that she could stop the time and enjoy moments like these forever.

 

* * *

  
Six days later, Kala was waiting for Wolfgang in the park. They had decided to enjoy the unusual sunny Autumn day and have a small picnic on a bench for their traditional lunch date.

 

Kala enjoyed their lunches very much but sometimes she wondered how it would have felt to see him at every hour of the day, unfortunately she had her work and her son to worry about and her lunch break was the only free time of the day she had.

 

“Hey.” Wolfgang arrived and kissed her on the lips, interrupting her thoughts.

He sat down, facing her, and she greeted him before handing him the sandwiches she had made for them while he gave her a bottle of water.

 

“What’s that?” She nodded towards a plastic bag he had put behind him, he avoided her eyes and casually took a bite of his sandwich, “I’ll show you later.”

Kala narrowed her eyes, confused and intrigued, and pretended to let the topic go; as they talked about their day and planned their next date, she couldn’t stop glancing at the bag with suspicious eyes and Wolfgang shook his head, amused by her curiosity.

 

Their lunch was shorter than usual, he had to go to a business meeting with Felix, and she quickly stood up from the bench to say goodbye and, most importantly, find out what was inside the bag.

He laughed softly at her childlike enthusiasm, stood up and handed it to her.

 

Kala opened it hastily, her eyes wide, and her movements slowed down when she saw the object inside. Slowly, very slowly, she took it out and stared at it, delicately brushing her fingers on the soft surface.

 

“Wh-What’s this?” She asked, her voice full of emotion.

Wolfgang exhaled, his neck flushing with sudden embarrassment and uncharacteristic shyness, and explained.

“I was coming here when I walked by the toys shop. It wasn’t in the window and I don’t exactly know how I managed to notice it on one of the shelves inside, but I did. You said he has a wide collection of stuffed animals, I thought maybe he didn’t have this yet.”

 

The animal he had chosen was a wolf. 

Kala couldn’t stop staring at it; it seemed like the regular toy, it wasn’t particularly big or hadn’t any special characteristic, but suddenly it was the most precious thing in the world for her.

He had seen it in a store, it had reminded him of her son and he had bought it for him, knowing it would have made him happy. That’s what made it so special to her.

 

“It’s beautiful,” she said, raising her teary eyes to meet his, “He will love it. I’m sure of it.”

Wolfgang smiled briefly, “Good.”

Kala gripped his shirt and pulled him closer to her, kissing his lips soundly and passionately, her fingers going through his hair as she tried to contain her tears.

He broke the kiss and caressed her face gently, “What’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing.” She smiled at him, a wide emotional smile that quivered at the corners, and murmured, “Thank you for the gift.” 

The way she was looking at him, so tenderly and loving, let him know she wasn’t thanking him only for that and he kissed her again, to reassure her the strength of his own feelings was just as powerful as hers.

 

* * *

 

 

The decisive moment for her happened not long after, on one night when she was tucking her son in.

 

Aditya had been in a strange mood all day; when she had picked him up from school he hadn’t greeted her with his usual cheer and he hadn’t told her about his day like he always used to do, at first she had thought he was simply tired but as the hours passed and his mood only worsened, she realized something had happened and that was tormenting him.

She waited until his bed time to ask him about it, knowing he always felt more comfortable then.

 

“Adi, darling, what’s wrong?” Kala gently murmured and played with the fingers of one of his small hands.

The small boy shook his head, refusing to speak, and gripped the blanket tightly.

“I know something is upsetting you, I’m your mother.”

 

He pouted and narrowed his eyes, his confusion and annoyance written all over his face. 

“Peter asked me why his father picks him up and my father doesn’t.” He mumbled so quietly she almost didn’t hear him.

 

Kala exhaled, the question completely caught her by surprise and she didn’t know how to answer him truthfully, how to explain in the best way possible her failed marriage with his father.

It wasn’t the first time he asked about Sanjay, he had wondered where he was during their first months in Berlin and she always told him he was in India, working. He had been younger then and had accepted her excuse without thinking much about it. Besides, Sanjay had never created a meaningful bond with him and he had easily stopped thinking and asking about him.

 

“His daddy is funny and nice, Mama. He takes him wherever he wants and play for hours!” His voice was disappointed and held a certain hint of sadness. It was clear to her then, he was asking why his friend had a father and he didn’t. He wasn’t asking about Sanjay. 

 

“I’m sure he’s a great man, darling.” She took his small hand in hers, “and you might not,” she cleared her throat and considered her words carefully, “you might not have that but you’re surrounded with people that love and adore you.”

 

“But… I want that.” His downcast gaze made her heart clench painfully, his big brown eyes were filled with pain.

“Peter doesn’t believe I have a daddy like him, Mama.” 

She knew that it would eventually happen, sooner or later he would start comparing his life with those of other children at school. He would start missing something he never had. She just thought she would have more time to make him understand he wasn’t any less loved than anyone.

 

“You do have a father, Adi. And a mother that loves you very much, tell him that.”

He seemed to ponder her answer deeply, trying to order all the thoughts that wandered in his head.

 

“Does my daddy remember me?” He asked abruptly. Kala was expecting him to ask if his father loved him, certainly not that, and she thought then that perhaps Aditya himself was starting to forget his father’s face or presence. And he was scared Sanjay was forgetting him as well.

 

She could have easily lied to him then; she could have told him his father always called and asked about him, she could have told him his father didn’t care about him and make him hate just as much as she had hated him. She knew he would believe everything she said because she was his mother and he loved her more than anything else.

 

Kala held back her tears and forced her voice to be still, strong and reassuring for her son.

“Your father remembers you, Adi, and he thinks about you . Sometimes, however, adults  make choices and these choices lead you to consequences you didn’t expect.”

 

Aditya frowned and she wondered if he understood her words.

“That’s why he is not here? For a choice?”

“Yes. A choice he didn’t know he was making, sweetheart. He didn’t plan to… not be here with us.”

As much as she wanted to protect him from any kind of pain or disappointment, she thought he deserved not to be lied to. She wouldn’t tell him all of the details, not now or ever, but she would always try to stick to the truth as much as possible.

Kala didn’t want him to hate his father but still, she knew Sanjay didn’t deserve to be idolized by his son.

 

“When will I see him again?”

“We have to go to India to see him, darling. Do you want to?”

“No.” He said bluntly, with that particular honesty only children seemed to have. He loved their home, their routine and their life, he didn’t want to leave it all, not even to see his father again, and that told her everything she needed to know.

 

“But I want him to come here and pick me up from school. I want a daddy too.”

Aditya whined and Kala hastily dried the one single tear that fell down his cheek while she tried to stop herself from crying as well.

 

In that moment, she realized how cowardly she had been. She had tried to leave Wolfgang out of their lives because she didn’t want him to hurt them, even though he had never given her a reason to doubt him, and she had hidden behind that excuse because she knew that that the moment they became a family, she wouldn’t have been able to deny her feelings for him.

But now she knew her son needed him just as much as she needed him, she knew it was time to let Wolfgang prove himself to them like he so clearly wanted to.

 

“I know you do, sweetheart. I know.” She lovingly kissed his forehead and smiled, “Remember that, whatever happens, you will always have people that love you very much. And that’s all you need. Do you promise me?”

 

He smiled weakly and nodded, moving to give her more space on the bed. “Can you sleep with me tonight, Mama?” he murmured, his big brown eyes looking at her hopefully and needily. 

 

“Of course.” She laid beside him under the blankets and held him in her arms, her fingers gently caressed his back while he hugged her tightly.

“I love you, Aditya.” she whispered, closing her eyes as she felt his small body relax against hers and his breathing slowing down.

 

* * *

  
“Felix has been a pain in the ass ever since Lito told him he met you. He is even accusing me of breaking the Brothers Code, whatever the fuck that means.” Wolfgang told her as parked outside her house and turned off his car’s engine. 

 

They had had a lovely afternoon together, the minute she had told him she didn’t have to work he had cancelled all his plans and took her to his house.  They only had a few hours before she had to pick up Aditya from school and had spent their time together in the only way they wanted to.

 

Having sex despite their busy schedules had seemed to be a problem in the last weeks; sometimes they used to skip lunch entirely and have quick, fast sex in the back of his car only to release the tension building between them, other times they would take advantage of his closed pub during the morning and have sex on the couch inside his small office.

They didn’t complain about it, they seemed to enjoy the secretive feeling of it all, but they missed having time to take it slowly and tease the other, or take all of their clothes off at least.

 

That afternoon they had done exactly that, they had kissed and caressed each other’s bodies like they hadn’t done in a very long time, savoring their loud moans and screams knowing they wouldn’t have been caught. And afterwards, they had laid spent and satisfied, their naked bodies pressed together on his soft sheets, their hands lazily wandering and exploring for hours.

 

“I know you want to introduce me to him but Daya is in the middle of her exams and can’t babysit Adi.”

“I know, don’t worry. Besides I’ve been dealing with Felix’s bullshit all my life, I can handle it.” He tucked a loose strand of hair from her ponytail behind her ear, “I forgot to ask, did he like the toy?”

 

Kala bit her lower lip and took a deep breath, now it was the right time and she knew that.

“I haven’t given it to him yet.”

“What? Why not?”

“I want you to do that.”

 

Wolfgang frowned and stiffened, she looked at him hesitantly and worried she might have said something wrong.

“Do you..” he gulped and stared at her with serious eyes, “You want me to meet him?” 

“Yes. Only if you want to, of course.” 

 

He looked away from her and didn’t say anything for various seconds, his silence and the emotionless expression on his face only worried her more.

“Wolfgang?” she touched his arms and he laid his hand on hers.

“I didn’t expect this.”

 

“If you don’t want to, I understand.” Kala tried to hide the disappointment in her voice but already knew she was failing.

 

“No, no.” He said with a gentle smile, “I want to. I do.”

“Are you sure?”

Wolfgang took her face in his hands and stared intensely at her before answering with a passionate kiss where his tongue hungrily found hers, the kind of kiss that seemed to last for hours and always left her breathless and wanting for more.

 

He was sure of that, of  _ them _ and he was assuring her of that in the best way he knew, making all her doubts disappear.

 

* * *

 

They had decided he would meet Aditya two days later, on a Saturday, he would go to their apartment and she would introduce him as a friend at first. Then, once Adi was comfortable enough with him, Kala would explain he was her boyfriend and what that meant.

 

Aditya was drawing with his crayons on the kitchen table when she heard the doorbell rang. She looked at him and he didn’t seem to care or even notice that, too busy in his own world.

Quickly, she walked towards the door and took a deep breath before opening it.

 

“Hey.” She smiled at him and kissed him chastely on the lips, “Come on in.”

Wolfgang entered the apartment with his usual casual behavior, he seemed as confident as he always was but she noticed his nervousness in the way he kept clenching his fists subtly.

 

She was about to reassure him when he stopped walking, his body seemed to freeze on the spot and his jaw clenched. Kala didn’t need to follow his gaze to know he had seen Aditya for the first time.

 

His eyes stared at the small boy, who hadn’t even noticed his presence yet, with an unreadable expression in them. He seemed to study every single details of his face, as if in that way he could understand how to approach him.

 

“He looks like you.” Wolfgang simply whispered to her, his voice filled with awe and fondness.

She smiled and took his hand in hers, “Adi.” she said, catching her son’s attention.

 

The boy stopped drawing and looked at his mother, a confused frown appeared on his face as he looked at Wolfgang.

“Who are you?” He asked bluntly and Wolfgang couldn’t help but smirk.

“Adi, his name is Wolfgang and he’s my friend.” She told him and took a deep breath, feeling a bit nervous herself.

That seemed to be an acceptable answer for him and he grinned, his few missing teeth making him more adorable, “I’m Aditya Kahtri, Mama’s son!”

 

Kala went closer to him and encouraged Wolfgang to do the same.

“Nice to meet you, Aditya.”

“I’m busy. Do you want to draw with me? Mama’s friends always say yes.” He tapped the seat next to him and handed him a crayon, already assuming he would say yes as well.

“Of course.” Wolfgang sat next to him and Kala winked at him playfully.

“Well, while you two boys are drawing I will make some tea so we can eat some cookies.”

“Milk for me Mama!” He reminded her, his eyes already focused back on his paper.

 

“Your mother told me you liked to draw very much.” Wolfgang casually said as he drew a cloud, the only thing that came to his mind.

Aditya nodded, “I usually draw with my Uncle Hen too, he’s also Mama’s friend like you.”

“I know him, he seems nice.”

“He is!”

 

Aditya started talking about all the things he liked to draw and do, his tendency to rant reminded Wolfgang of Kala and he simply smiled fondly at him while he listened carefully and asked him questions. He seemed to appreciate his interest very much because every time he answered more enthusiastically.

 

“I’m drawing Baymax now!” he said as he finished his current drawing, “he’s very easy but I’m making purple because I can’t leave him white!” he shook his head dramatically and pointed the white paper to make him understand his reasons.

 

“Purple sounds more entertaining for sure.” 

“You should color your cloud purple too!” Aditya’s suggestion sounded more like a command and he laughed softly before changing crayon. 

 

Kala approached the table with a tray of cookies and three cups of warm tea and milk, “There you go.” she sat next to Aditya, in front of Wolfgang.

 

“Did you tell Wolfgang you play football Adi? He likes it too.” She said, her eyes meeting Wolfgang’s as she hid her smile behind her cup.

 

“Not yet!, we’re focusing on this!” he tried to scold her but his eyes lightened up and he glanced at Wolfgang, “do you like to play?”

“Yes. I like to think I’m good at it as well.” He replied with a smile.

“Cool! We have to play together!”

He was surprised with the child’s spontaneous and cheerful attitude, his enthusiasm at every single thing showed him how happy he was and he knew Kala’s was the only person responsible for that.

“Definitely. Do you prefer to play football or to draw?”

 

Aditya hummed pensively for a very brief moment, “Drawing! I love it very very much.”

“I went to a farm with my school! We saw horses, rabbits, dogs, cats, pigs, birds, sheeps, cows, chickens,” he listed every single animal with the same enthusiastic tone, “and I drew them all!”

 

“Really? It sounds like an incredible experience.”

“Yes and took pictures as well. Do you want to see them?” Aditya asked, already standing up from his chair.

“Sure, why not?”

The boy grinned broadly at him and ran towards his room.

 

Kala stood up quickly and told Wolfgang she was going to get the toy he had bought from her room before Aditya came back,; she returned immediately and hid it under the table. She had wrapped it the day before and now it looked like a proper gift.

 

“Look!” Aditya came back and started showing Wolfgang all of his photographs first and then his drawings.

“I think the horses turned out better!”

 

Wolfgang looked through the pages and smiled, “There are lots of elephants.”

“That’s my favorite animal. I asked my friends to draw them for me but I don’t like them very much.”

Kala and Wolfgang shared an amused smile at this.

 

“Draw one for me!” He demanded and Kala chided him immediately as she often had to do in these circumstances.

“Sorry. Could you pretty please draw an elephant for me Wolfgang? Please please?”

 

“It would be a pleasure, Aditya.” He smirked mischievously at him and he laughed, enjoying his playfulness.

 

Wolfgang started drawing what he had requested, tried to do his best as Aditya looked at him attentively from behind his shoulder; he almost laughed at the child’s very serious look on his face, it was clearly important to him and he wondered why.

 

“Done.” He said after a few minutes, shown the paper to him and waited for his opinion.

 

Aditya took the notebook in his hands and his mouth opened in surprise, his eyes seemed to sparkle with happiness and delight.

“IT’S WONDERFUL! IT’S AMAZING! LOOK MAMA LOOK!” 

He made her look at Wolfgang’s drawing with a huge smile on his face, his joy clear in his voice and his body.

 

Kala was astonished and speechless; never in his brief life he had ever liked anyone’s drawing of his favorite animal, he had always been really critical, even when they had looked great in her opinion. Seeing him so content because of it made her heart skip a beat and her eyes fill with tears. 

It seemed like a sign to her. A sign that his relationship with Wolfgang was meant to be lasting and meaningful for both of them. A sign that she couldn’t ignore.

 

“It’s beautiful.” She said with a small voice, her smile reassuring Wolfgang’s sudden worried look.

Aditya’s grin didn’t fade at all and he asked Wolfgang if he wanted to see his favorite movie with him.

 

“I would like that very much but first, I want to give you something.” He took the wrapped toy from under the table and gave it to him.

“A gift? It’s not my birthday.” Aditya answered matter-of-factly.

“I know but your mother told me you would like this very much. Come on, open it.” He encouraged him gently with a smile.

 

Aditya opened it quickly, as he always did with gifts, and let out a surprised gasp. 

“It’s a wolf! I don’t have that!”

“Do you like it?” He asked almost hesitantly.

“YES!” Aditya yelled and wrapped his arms around him, catching him completely by surprise.

 

He wasn’t sure what to do in that moment, too shocked by the sudden affection the child was showing to him, but then his arms instinctively wrapped around his small body.

“I’m happy you do.”

 

Aditya broke the hug to keep staring and marveling at the stuffed animal, “It looks like Father Wolf!”

“Who?”

“Father Wolf! From The Jungle Book! He’s Mowgli’s father!” He replied slightly annoyed.

“I’m afraid I’ve never watched it.” Wolfgang admitted sheepishly, the boy’s accusing eyes making him feel suddenly guilty of it.

 

“How is that possible?” Aditya asked and looked at his mother as if she could give him a reasonable answer, “Do you want to watch it together please?”

 

“I can’t think of any better way to spend my afternoon.” He grinned fondly and Aditya started jumping up and down excitedly before taking his hand and taking him to the couch.

 

Kala slowly stood up and started observing them as they talked and laughed together; tears of joy fell down her cheeks as she saw how easily they were bonding, how much they already liked each other. For a minute, she had been afraid Wolfgang, whom had admitted he hadn’t much experience with children, would get bored or annoyed easily but he didn’t and she felt guilty for thinking that.

 

There was nothing that showed boredom in him or Aditya in that moment, they had already created a little world for them and that warmed her heart, suddenly regretting having waited so long for this moment to happen. She knew then that Wolfgang was the best person to introduce to her son’s life.

 

Kala took her phone and decided to take a photo of them while they laughed and played with the stuffed animal as they waited for the film to start.

She wanted to remember that moment forever, she wanted a photo that would show the effortless joy of the day Wolfgang met his son for the rest of their lives.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it!


	5. What It Means To Be a Parent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kala, Wolfgang and Aditya bond as a family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm terribly sorry for the wait! Unfortunately, real life is happening and is kicking my butt. Still, I will always try to update my stories as fast as possible!
> 
> This is the first time I wrote a chapter using both Wolfgang’s and Kala’s POV, I hope it’s not too confusing and I managed to be clear!

A loud knock distracted her, followed by the door opening even louder, banging against the bedroom’s wall.  
She sat up straight on the bed and fixed her hair with one hand, while she held the duvet tightly close to her body with the other.

“ADITYA!” Kala screamed indignantly, flushed with shame and surprise, “What did I tell you about knocking?”

“I did.” The small boy replied and yawned, his legs pressed together as he jumped slightly up and down.

“But you didn’t wait for me to tell you to come in.”  
He frowned and gestured towards the bathroom, “I need to pee!”  
“Then go, Adi.” She said more gently, hoping he wouldn’t decide to jump into the bed with her.  
“It’s dark, Mama. It’s all dark!”  
Usually, he ran to the bathroom and turned the light on before he could get scared; however, it was so early on that November morning that the entire house was covered with darkness and he didn’t feel as brave.

Kala sighed and shifted under the sheets as she tried to act casual, “Alright darling, just wait for me outside for a few seconds.”  
“Ok…” He said, pouting, “but be super fast!”  
“Yes.”  
He was almost outside her room when he turned his back suddenly to look at her again, making her slap the duvet forcefully to keep it down on her body.

“Is Wolfie coming today?” Aditya asked hopefully.  
He hadn’t been able to pronounce Wolfgang’s name correctly and had given him that nickname only two days after he had met him, completely unaware that it was also the name Wolfgang’s best friend used to call him.

Kala nodded and pointed to the door, “Yes, yes. He is coming later, now go Adi. I’ll be there in a minute.”  
Aditya walked outside but refused to close the door, too scared to stay completely alone in the dark hallway.

Wolfgang’s head came out from under the sheets and he smiled arrogantly at her. She rolled her eyes as the blush on her cheeks deepened and put a finger on his wet lips, silently telling him to be quiet.

Quickly, she got up from the bed and tied her robe around her naked body before going out the room to accompany her son to the bathroom.  
Once he was done, he took her hand and made her follow him to his bedroom. Already half asleep, he insisted she tuck him again and tell him a bedtime story. And she did, even though it was six in the morning, because it was impossible for her to resist his puppy eyes and his sleepy grin.

When she returned to her bedroom, she found Wolfgang waiting for her with a tiny smirk on his face, his naked chest looking more tempting under the weak morning sunlight.  
He tapped the bed to invite her to go back to him and she took off her robe, smiling as she saw how his gaze roamed over her body.

She laid down on the bed next to him, enjoying the sudden warmth his body and the heavy blankets emanated.  
“We should probably start having morning sex earlier.” He teased and held her tightly in his arms, his lips softly kissing her shoulder.

“I’m sorry, it’s not always like this.”  
“There’s nothing to apologize for, Kala.”  
Her eyes softened and she caressed his face with gentle fingers; she could hear the birds chirping outside the window they had left ajar and the light breeze that entered from it encouraged her to press her body closer to his.

They closed their eyes at the same time, their lips mere inches away from each other, their legs intertwined, and let the peaceful atmosphere lull them to sleep.

 

* * *

  
“Wolfie,” Aditya said casually as they waited for Kala to come from the kitchen with the popcorns.  
Wolfgang looked at him and nodded, letting him know he had his full attention.  
“You’re my friend, right?”  
“Yes, of course I am.”  
“And friends help?”  
He narrowed his eyes, suddenly curious about where he was trying to get to.  
“Yes.”  
“Can you tell my mommy to give me a pretty dog?”

Wolfgang tried to contain his laughter but failed and his eyes wrinkled as he slightly threw his head back, amused by the five-year-old sly antics.

“I thought your mother told you a puppy was a very definitive no.”  
Aditya’s eyes widened and he was momentarily out of words, he hadn’t known his mother had told Wolfgang about it.

“But maybe if you tell her…” He whispered confidently and leaned his head on Wolfgang’s shoulder, looking up at him with pleading eyes.

“If he tells me what?” Kala walked towards the couch with a bowl of popcorn in her hands and sat next to Aditya.

The small boy’s head snapped up and smiled charmingly at his mother, “Nothing Mama!”. He quickly shifted closer to her and took an handful of popcorn, acting as if nothing had happened.

Kala and Wolfgang shared a knowing look and a smile, both of them shaking their heads fondly at him.  
“Press play, Mama!” He said, eating more and more popcorn. They already knew they would probably eat only half of it, even less probably.

He laid his head on her lap and his legs on Wolfgang’s, he was completely comfortable as he ate and snuggled against them.  
Kala pressed play and the movie (“Iron Man” to satisfy Aditya’s newest obsession with superheroes) started playing on the screen, the bright colors lighting up the dark living room.

She gently caressed her son’s soft hair, her fingers running through it as she so loved to do, and looked down at him; out of the corner of her eye, she saw Wolfgang staring at them as he tentatively touched his small ankle in the fondest way possible, an almost invisible smile on his lips.

 

* * *

 

 

Wolfgang was the first one to wake up the morning after; he lazily stretched out on the bed before kissing Kala’s cheek and leaving the room, trying to be as quiet as possible as to not wake up the entire house.  
Ever since he had met Aditya, Kala had been constantly inviting him to her house, not only for herself but also for the small child, who had grown to love and enjoy his company. He had also been introduced to Kala’s sister Daya, who had greeted him with a very suspicious frown, but they hadn’t had actually spent time together due to her busy University schedule.

As he walked towards the kitchen, he found himself trying to remember when it had been the last time he slept in his own apartment.

“Good morning,” a voice startled him the moment he entered the room, “Coffee’s ready, if you want.”  
Wolfgang squinted his eyes, still half asleep, and glanced at the young girl in front of him.  
“Good morning Daya.”

She glared at his naked chest and frowned, “Aren’t you cold? We’re in the middle of November.”  
“No.” Wolfgang shrugged casually and took the coffee pot, pouring himself a cup.  
Daya kept staring at him rudely as she tried to study him, she hadn’t had the chance to analyze his relationship with her sister yet and she realized that was the right time to do so.

“How long have you known my sister?” She asked abruptly.  
“Three months.” He answered, completely unfazed.

“And she already introduced you to Aditya?”  
The slight accusation in her words made him look at her with cold eyes, clearly not appreciating her criticism.  
“Yes. We’re in a serious relationship, you might say.”

Daya didn’t seem convinced by it and kept going, trying to understand how serious they truly were.  
“That’s weird. I talked to my parents last night and they never mentioned you. Knowing them, they would have asked me hundreds of questions the moment they found out about your presence in their only grandson’s life.”

“Just say whatever you want to say, Daya. Cut the bullshit.”

“What are your intentions with my sister?”  
Wolfgang snorted at this and shook his head, suddenly finding the whole situation ridiculous.  
“What are my intentions?” He repeated, his tone mocking her subtly, “She’s my girlfriend. We’re good together.”

“Do you love her?”  
That one question completely surprised him, he wasn’t expecting that and couldn’t find the adequate answer. Did he love her? He knew what he felt for her was stronger that any feeling he had ever felt and most of the times, he was scared by the strength of it. Still, he had never been one to overanalyze himself or his feelings, so he hadn’t bothered to give it a name yet. And if he had, he wouldn’t be sharing it with her; she might have been Kala’s sister but she was a stranger to him.

“I know she must care deeply for you, otherwise she wouldn’t have had introduced you to Aditya.”  
He didn’t mutter a word as he took a sip of his hot coffee.

“Do you care about him?”  
“I do.” He replied, his eyes still fixed on the spotless kitchen counter.  
“Good.”  
She didn’t say anything else immediately, apparently satisfied with her interrogation, but then she started talking again with a softer voice, almost tenderly.

“I don’t know what my sister has told you about her life in Mumbai,” she said, “but they don’t deserve any more pain. Whatever you do, don’t break their hearts.”

Wolfgang met her eyes, silently promising to her he wouldn’t with one single look and a small nod; right in that moment, Kala bursted into the kitchen, interrupting their conversation.

“Daya!” She exclaimed, relieved.  
She was already dressed for work and she moved frantically around the room as she put her hair into a messy ponytail.  
Quickly, she kissed Wolfgang’s lips in greeting while he smirked at her, offering her his own cup of coffee.

She took a long sip and looked at her sister, “My boss just called me. The person that was supposed to open the pharmacy just called to say she’s sick and I’ll have to work all day. I need you to take Adi to school and pick him up at four, can you do that please?”  
Kala pleaded as she grabbed her arm.

Daya looked at her with a sad smile on her face and held her hand, “You know I would bari, but Thursdays are hell for me. I need to go now and my classes won’t be over until six.”  
Kala’s shoulders slumped and she took a deep breath as she smiled sadly at her sister, already trying to figure out another solution to her problems.

“I can do that.”  
Wolfgang said, his tone casual and calm. Both women looked at him with similar surprises looks on their faces.  
“You would?” Kala asked sheepishly and Daya repeated it, more suspiciously.  
“Yes. There’s no problem.”

Kala kissed him soundly and smiled, “Thank you so much.” she took a notepad from one of the cabinets and started writing.  
“This is his school address, it’s not far from here,” she said and started ranting, “I’ll also write you a note in case his teacher don’t let you pick him up. You have to wake him up in about half an hour and make sure he’s ready in time, he will probably try to convince you to let him sleep ten more minutes but you have to be the adult and refuse.” she stopped briefly to catch her breath, before starting again, missing the amused look on his face, “I’ll also give you my key of the apartment to bring him home, he has two hours of P.E. today so he will probably be very tired.”  
She gave him all the written information with a teasing smirk, “He finishes school at four. Please be punctual.”

“I will, don’t worry.” Wolfgang tilted her chin up with his finger to kiss her again.  
“If there’s any problem or doubt, just call me or text me.”  
He nodded and she quickly gathered her coat and purse before going out the door, leaving them alone in the kitchen once more.

Daya didn’t say anything, she simply stared at him with an unreadable look in her eyes and he did the same; he could have sworn she smiled approvingly at him as she walked away.

 

* * *

 

  
Wolfgang took a quick shower before going to Aditya’s room to wake him up.  
He turned on the small light near his bed, as Kala had suggested him in her first text minutes after she had left, and gently patted his back.  
“Adi,” he whispered as he shook him slowly, “Wake up.”  
The small boy didn’t seem to acknowledge his presence and he took a deep breath; never in his life had he woken up a child, actually, before Aditya his experiences with children had been very limited.  
With him, he learned something new everyday about children and himself.

“Aditya.” He said more firmly, his hand rubbing his back.

Aditya seemed to suddenly recognize his voice and he lazily opened one eye to assure it was truly him, “Wolfie?”  
“Yes. It’s you and me this morning buddy.”  
Wolfgang saw him smile slightly and then he frowned, his eye closing again as he snuggled more comfortably under his blanket.  
“Mama?”  
“She had to leave earlier, she asked me to take you to school and told me you would behave because you’re a good boy. Was she right?”

The boy just nodded absently, already half asleep, and Wolfgang shook his shoulder to keep him awake.  
“Just ten more minutes,” he whined on the edge of very frustrated tears, “Pretty please.”

Wolfgang checked the hour on his watch and pinched the bridge of his nose, he really didn’t want to start his day bickering with a child.  
“Aditya,” with a firm tone he tried to be the adult Kala had told him to be.  
“Please.” Aditya repeated, “We’re friends!”

He snorted amusedly and shook his head, sure that ten minutes wouldn’t change their schedule that much. Besides, he had already realized it was impossible for him to say no to Aditya.  
“Alright,” he said and walked towards the door, “Just ten minutes.”  
Aditya didn’t reply, already asleep again.

After the ten minutes had passed, Wolfgang managed to wake up and dress a very annoyed Aditya, who just raised his arms and lifted his legs with a pout on his face whenever he was asked to.  
Wolfgang tried to follow every instruction Kala had given him but by the time they were having breakfast, he had already lost more time than needed, always giving Aditya more minutes and occasionally playing with him in between tasks to cheer him up.

They were laughing over a silly joke Aditya had told him when he got a new text from Kala, “You’re already on your way to school, right?”  
He checked the time again and swore loudly, much to Adi’s delight.  
“You can’t say bad words Wolfie!”

Wolfgang ruffled his hair as he stood up from the chair and quickly tidied the kitchen, “Go, brush your teeth and put on your shoes. We’re late and we have to go Adi.”  
The boy pointed at his half-filled bowl of cereals, “I’m not done yet!”  
“Well, that’s what happens when you get ten more minutes of sleep. You lose ten minutes of breakfast.”

Aditya glared at him, not approving of his teasing tone at all, but got up anyway and ran towards the bathroom while Wolfgang stared after him with an amused smile.  
From then, Wolfgang hurried to get him ready and they left the house in less than fifteen minutes. They ran towards his car, something that Aditya saw as a game and greatly enjoyed it, and he turned on the engine, driving to his school as quickly as possible.  
When they arrived, Aditya grabbed his hand and made him walk to his classroom with him, something Kala had told him he didn’t had to but still, he followed the child.

“Good morning, Aditya.” His teacher greeted him and he smiled in greeting, a confused frown appeared on her face as she saw Wolfgang, “Who is your friend?”  
She asked Aditya but stared at him.

“His name is Wolfie!” Aditya proudly introduced him.  
“Wolfgang,” he corrected while he shook the young woman’s hand, “His mother had an emergency and asked me to drop him off.”  
“Nice to meet you,” she said and seemed to hesitate before looking back to Aditya, “Say bye to your friend, the class is about to start.”

Aditya hugged Wolfgang, he only reached his waist, and looked up at him with a bright smile, “Bye Wolfie!”

His eyes softened as he stared at his sweet face and rubbed his shoulder, murmuring, “Behave, alright?”  
Aditya nodded and walked inside the room, leaving him alone in the hallway.

He didn’t know how his life had come to this point, how had he suddenly found himself being involved in the life of a five-year-old, why being a good example for him and protect him was suddenly so important to him, he didn’t know but he couldn’t complain; every time he looked at him with these big brown eyes, so similar to his mother’s, filled with awe and pride he believed everything in his life, all the pain and the emptiness, had led him to that moment, to them.

Only months before, the only thing he had cared about was himself; no important lovers, no responsibilities. He had lived day by day, surviving only for himself and to spite his family, and if someone had told him he would become someone’s father figure he would have had laughed in their faces.  
Now, he couldn’t imagine a life without that incredible child and his amazing mother.

 

* * *

 

 

Wolfgang had spent the rest of the day with Felix, handling unfinished businesses, and had received more than one text from Kala reminding him to pick up Aditya on time.

“Hot Mama?” Felix teased him as his phone vibrated again at half past three.  
“Don’t call her that.”  
He shrugged and justified himself, “Lito said she’s quite a beauty. I still can’t fucking believe you’re a stepfather now.”

“I’m not.”  
“You’re dating a woman who has a son. You are.”  
Wolfgang sighed and looked at him, his eyes saying all he need to say, and shook his head.  
“Got to go. See you tomorrow.”

 

“WOLFIE!!!!” Aditya screamed in front of his classmates when he saw him waiting for him outside the school.  
Wolfgang didn’t have the time to greet him because he ran straight into his arms.  
“You picked me up from school!”  
“Yes, Adi. We will spend a few more hours together, just the two of us. What do you think?” He lovingly pinched his chubby cheeks.  
“YES!”

They were smiling at each other when someone coughed to catch their attention.  
“Excuse me sir,” an older woman spoke to him and he immediately assumed he was another one of Aditya’s teachers, “I need to see your document before letting him leave with you.”

“But Miss Müller he’s my friend! And my Mama’s friend! He’s always at home with us, he also sleeps in her bed sometimes!”  
The teacher pretended not to the hear that but her eyes didn’t quite meet Wolfgang’s as he tried to suppress a smirk.  
“I know Adi but I still need to make sure it’s safe. Remember when we talked about being responsible?”

“Of course Ms., there is no problem.” Wolfgang handed his I.D and the written note Kala had left him. After she had made sure everything was correct, they left and he drove them to a nearby cafeteria.

“Do you want a warm cup of hot chocolate?” He asked him with a slight smile that grew bigger when he saw the excitement on the boy’s face, “It’s the least I can do after interrupting your breakfast so rudely this morning.”  
Aditya didn’t need to be asked twice.

 

* * *

 

 

“Wolfie,” Aditya casually said as he sipped the warm drink carefully, “Do you want to know when my birthday is?”  
Wolfgang hid his smirk behind his cup of coffee and stole a bite from Aditya’s slice of chocolate cake; if Kala could see them in that moment, she would probably chide him for their afternoon snacks.

“Isn’t it on January 15th?”  
“How do you know that?” Aditya exclaimed in awe, clearly surprised he knew that even if he had never told him.  
Wolfgang shrugged, “It’s a talent I have.”  
He knew the exact date since it had been one of the first things he had asked Kala, but he always liked to tease him.  
“Coooooool,” Aditya replied with wide eyes, and went to the point of his initial question, “My mama is making me a party! With Superheroes!”

Wolfgang nodded, his mouth opening slightly in fake surprise to assure him of his interest, “A superheroes themed party?”

Aditya nodded as he moved excitedly on his seat and he had to told him to be careful not to spill his drink all over himself.  
“Will you come Wolfie?” He asked, his hopeful tone suddenly warming Wolfgang’s heart.

“It will be my pleasure.”  
“And…” the boy smiled charmingly at him, “Do you know already what to give me?”

At this, Wolfgang couldn’t help but chuckle softly.  
“I’ve been thinking about it. Is there anything you would really like?”  
Aditya seemed to hesitate for a brief moment, he knew his mother wouldn’t approve of such behavior, but she wasn’t there and he saw the chance to ask his friend something he really wanted.

“Spider-Man’s LEGO!” Aditya whispered loudly, as if his mother could hear him somehow.  
Wolfgang suspected Kala had already told him she wouldn’t buy it for some reason and part of him told him not to go against her wishes; still, he thought a Lego set couldn’t possibly upset her more than an unexpected puppy.  
“Well, if that’s what you want,” He shrugged and winked his eye mischievously, “there are some chances you will get it.”

Aditya let out a small gasp before laughing enthusiastically, “Thank you! Thank you!”  
He smiled at him before turning serious once again.  
“Maybe, Adi.”  
That didn’t seem to change his mood and he finished his hot chocolate with a smile on his face, uncaring of the stains he was getting all around his mouth.

 

* * *

  
Kala arrived at home at half past five, after an incredible long day at work, and found her boys playing with a ball in the living room, laughing together as they kicked it.  
She felt slightly annoyed at the fact they were playing with it inside the house, knowing how dangerous it could be, but couldn’t help the way her heart seemed to grow bigger at the sight of them together.

She cleared her throat to catch their attention and Aditya’s eyes widen in surprise, he quickly passed the ball to Wolfgang and held his hands up to let her know it hadn’t been his idea.  
Wolfgang narrowed his eyes playfully at him and ruffled his hair as they walked towards her.  
“I missed you Mama!” Aditya said while he hugged her tightly and Wolfgang kissed her quickly on the cheek; she smiled fondly at him and mouthered a “thank you” before kissing Aditya all over his face.  
“I missed you too beta. Did you have fun with Wolfgang?”  
He nodded against her stomach and tried to circle Wolfgang’s waist with his arm.

They stayed like that a bit longer, all three of them standing close together, until Kala ended the hug and said, “I’m going to take a shower, when I’ll be back you better not be playing with the ball.”  
She pointed an accusing finger to both of them and left the room.

While she showered, Wolfgang sat on the couch, suddenly exhausted, and convinced Aditya to do the same even though he wanted to keep playing.  
“I think we’ve played enough, don’t you?”  
Aditya just huffed dramatically, not sharing his opinion obviously, sat next to him and turned on the television annoyedly.

Several minutes had passed when Wolfgang stood up and went to the bathroom; he opened the door slowly and closed it behind him.  
That startled Kala, who immediately turned around in the shower and smiled when she saw him.  
“Hey.” He said casually as he leaned on the sink counter.  
“Hi.” She replied, suddenly feeling self-conscious and shy of her naked body.

“How did it go this morning? Did he give you too much trouble?” Kala asked him and stepped out of the shower.  
“Not at all. He was great.” He thought it was best if he didn’t tell her about the ten extra minutes and the lateness that followed.

“Good,” she wrapped herself up in a towel and approached him, “Thank you so much for doing this for me.”  
“Don’t wor-”  
“I mean it. I know children aren’t easy to handle sometimes.”  
“Aditya is a great child.” He said, completely honest with her and himself.  
“That’s because he sees you as a friend. I can assure you that when you’re a parent everything is different.” Kala whispered and her voice betrayed her tiny smile.  
“Why are you telling me this?”  
“I... “ she hesitated, “If you stay in our lives-”  
“If?” He asked, frowning.  
“I’m sorry but I’m trying to think it in a logical way, Wolfgang. Children are not all fun and games, they’re a responsibility. And the more you are part of his life, the more he will look up to you and…” she gulped before finishing her brief rant, “and you will have to act as a parent, not a friend.”

These thoughts had been in her head ever since he had met Aditya but she had been hesitant to voice them, too scared it would remind Wolfgang of what their relationship meant when her son was involved.  
She was constantly scared Wolfang would realized that being a stepfather was something he wasn’t ready for, that he would suddenly change his mind and leave them once he understood what being a parent really was.

“I understand what you’re saying and I can’t deny that sometimes I’m not sure I’ll be the right person for the task. I never thought about being a father, or a stepfather, and I liked the way I lived my life.” He put his hands on her waist to draw her closer to his body.  
“I will be completely honest,” he sighed pensively, not used to talk about his feelings or his thoughts, “the day I found out about Adi, after you had left, I regretted my words. I started to think I was making a mistake, that dating a woman who had a son was not the right thing to do.”  
Kala looked down, suddenly disappointed by his words, but he immediately tilted her chin up with one finger and looked in her eyes.  
“But these doubts soon went away because I already knew the truth.” He lovingly caressed her face, “Deep down, I already knew I loved you.”

She smiled so broadly then, a joyful smile that reached her teary eyes, and he leaned his forehead against hers, “and I knew I would have loved your son just as much. I might not be ready to be such an important person in his life but I’m willing to try and do my best.”

Kala took his face in her hands and kissed him deeply, her body communicating all the overwhelming emotions in her heart.  
“I love you. So much.” She told him, with a strangled voice, and they smiled to each other before kissing once more; her tongue touched his as she ran her hands down his torso and he slid his hands down to squeeze her ass, encouraging her to grind her body on his.

They were so lost in each other they didn’t hear the door open.

“What are you doing?” Aditya’s inquisitive voice was like a bucket of cold water and they immediately distanced themselves, their mouths suddenly went dry and Kala felt her heart beat faster than usual.

“Aditya,” She took a deep breath, “How many times do I have to tell you to knock?”  
“I did! Thrice!” He lifted his chin up indignantly.  
“Thrice is not a word, Adi.” Wolfgang corrected him with a small smile.  
“Three times! I knocked three times and you didn’t answer and I was aaall alone and I got scared and that’s why I opened the door.” The boy stopped to catch his breath and sighed deeply to show all his disappointment.

“Well, you’re not alone. Come on, let’s go back to the living room while your mother gets dressed.” Wolfgang tried to leave the bathroom with him but he stopped him with a hand.  
“Why were you kissing? That’s yucky, you shouldn’t do that.”

Wolfgang heard Kala’s surprised gasp and he didn’t bother to hide his smirk; he turned around to look at her and waited for her to decide their answer.  
She frowned at him and whispered, “Should we..?”  
“It’s your choice Süße.” He shrugged casually.

Kala exhaled deeply, bit her lower lip while she walked closer to her son and crouched down to meet his eyes, her hand gripping her towel tightly to not let it fall.  
“Darling,” she started explaining, “Wolfgang is more than just my friend, he’s my boyfriend.”  
“He’s my boyfriend too!”  
She shook her head, amused, “No, Adi he’s not a boy who is my friend. We are in a relationship, we love each other. Just like Riley and Will, Hernando and Lito.”

Aditya had met Lito the week before and they had spent a very entertaining afternoon ㇐ he had instantly liked him.  
“Like Grandpa and Grandma?” He tilted his head to the side as he tried to understand.  
“Yes, slightly different, but yes.”  
He looked at both at them with a frown on his face; she could tell he wanted to ask something but he decided to stay quiet and understand what exactly they were saying.  
“Ok.”  
“Ok?” Kala repeated, confused.  
“Yes.” He nodded seriously, “Ok.”

Neither Kala or Wolfang quite understood what he was agreeing on but accepted it as a good sign, as approval.  
Kala stood up as Wolfgang approached them, he started rubbing her back while he smiled at Aditya.

She took Adi’s hand and left the room, “I was thinking about ordering pizza for dinner, what do you say?”  
“Pizza! Pizza! Pizza” He started jumping up and down excitedly at the mere mention of it, all the confusing talk about relationships suddenly forgotten; she smiled fondly, looking behind her to meet Wolfgang’s eyes.  
“Are you staying with us tonight?”

Wolfgang stared at both of them as he felt his pulse quickening, they had such beautiful smiles on their faces and he could see the genuine love they both held for him ㇐ he knew then for sure, even after such a short time, that they were his family; and there was nowhere else he wanted to be in that moment.

“Yes.”

 

* * *

 

“I can’t believe this is the first time I’m here.” Kala said as she looked around the closed pub, her gaze fixing on every single detail, admiring the modern design of it.  
She enjoyed the silence and the soft light filtering through the windows.

Wolfgang unlocked the door of the small office he shared with Felix and gestured to her to follow him inside.  
“I just have to take some documents and we can go.” He said but she was already distracted.  
There was nothing but a small couch, a desk, a cabinet and a safe where she assumed they kept all the most important documents.

He checked one of the desk’s drawer first and then, when he didn’t find what he was looking for, he opened the cabinet’s door.  
While he tried to find it, Kala wandered around the room, asking him questions (“When did you open the bar?” “Was it easy to start such business?”), until she leaned on the desk.  
“There it is.” He sighed deeply as he muttered something about Felix’s lack of organization.

He turned around and their gazes met; she had taken off her long coat and was staring at him with a silent invitation in her eyes, her lips slightly curving teasingly.  
He roamed her body with one single look, admiring the way her skirt hugged her waist, and she tilted her head as she slowly undid the first button of her shirt ㇐ she didn’t need to mutter a single word.  
Wolfgang walked closer to her and picked her up, making her sit on the desk, the sudden movement made her giggle in anticipation, and he started teasing her thighs through the thin layer of her stockings.

“I like the way you think.” He murmured against her lips and she opened her legs, circling them around his waist.  
“I know. That’s why you love me.”

Kala licked his lower lip slowly before opening his mouth with her tongue, its tip teasing his; he groaned deeply as he hastily took off her skirt and the stockings while she tried to unzip his pants, when she succeeded she didn’t waste any time and took his growing erection in her hand.

Her fingers gripped his hair tightly while he started biting her neck, leaving tiny marks on her sensitive skin as she increased the pace of her hand, and every single one of his groans soaked her panties.

Their tongues caressed each other, their hands felt rough on their skin with their urgency ㇐ with her shirt opened and her breasts covered only by her black bra, Wolfgang made her lay on the desk forcefully. She stared intensely at him, her eyes sparkling with desire and her lips swollen from his kisses, and reached to grab his ass, pulling him closer to her.

With one, powerful thrust he entered her.

She wanted it rough and fast and he knew that; he gave her exactly what she desired as his cock thrusted deeply into her, his left hand moving her bra aside to tease her nipples while the other left bruises on her hips with his strong thrusts.  
Kala enjoyed every single one of his actions and she let him know that with loud moans, her eyes never leaving his while she bit her lips.

Suddenly, he picked her up and turned her body around, her ass fully exposed to him and he slid inside her once again; she threw her head back as she repeated his name over and over again, her hips moving against him as he squeezed her ass appreciatively before pulling her hair.  
The small room was filled with the sound of their frantic fuck; their wet bodies slapping together, the desk creaking under the weight of her body, their moans and groans resounding on the walls.  
They moved together with hurried need, eager to reach their climaxes, until they were so close he could feel her body tremble slightly and she recognized his broken, desperate tone in his voice as he said her name.

“WHAT THE FUCK” A loud, high voice exclaimed from the door and they immediately stopped. Kala let out a terrified scream and quickly stood up, trying her best to cover herself, her face completely red with embarrassment while tears fell from her eyes.  
Wolfgang’s face looked similar to hers, it was not humiliation but anger; having recovered quickly from the startlement, he simply put his boxers back on to and gestured furiously towards his best friend, who was hardly containing his laugh.  
“Get the fuck out of here Felix!”

“Damn!” The amused man said and ran his hand through his hair, “That was definitely not the way I thought we would meet. Kala, right?”  
She didn’t even look at him, too busy drowning in shame.

“I’m five seconds away from punching your fucking face.” Wolfgang said, his nostrils flaring.  
“Alright, alright. It’s not a big deal, I’ll wait for you outside.” He smirked before closing the door behind him.

“Babe, I’m sorry.” He took her hand and pulled her into a tight hug, he didn’t mind getting caught having sex but he knew she wouldn’t easily get over it.  
He caressed her hair while she sobbed against his chest, her told him something but her words weren’t clear and he asked her to repeat it.  
“I said,” she looked at him and he quickly dried her tears with his thumb, “We’re not going to have sex ever again.”  
Wolfgang laughed heartily at that and she pouted, her brows furrowing, “I’m serious!”  
“Of course you are.” He teased her and kissed her cheek softly, tenderly.

“I’m sorry to interrupt again,” Felix screamed from the other side of the door and they groaned loudly, “But I’m waiting here.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Hello.” Felix said to her when they finally joined him at the bar of the pub, their clothes and their hair looking perfect, as if nothing had happened.  
“I’m Felix Berner.” He extended his hand to her and smiled brightly; this time it wasn’t an amused, almost mocking, smile but it was sweet and caring, almost as if he was trying to ease her nerves.  
“Kala Dandekar, nice to meet you.” She said with a low voice and tried to reciprocated the smile but refused to shake his hand ㇐ he had to bit his tongue from teasing them again when he realized why.

“Is there a reason for your presence here?” Wolfgang asked him annoyedly and poured himself a glass of beer from the tap behind the counter.  
“Yes.” He replied and the expression on his face changed immediately, “A very important reason.”  
Kala didn’t miss the knowing look they shared nor Wolfgang’s body suddenly tensing; she wanted to ask what was wrong but she already knew he probably wouldn’t give her an answer.  
“I have to go now. I’ll talk to you later?” She asked her boyfriend, ignoring the worrying feeling in the pit of her stomach.  
Wolfgang merily nodded and smiled feebly while Felix waved at her, “Looking forward to see you again! In different circumstances, hopefully.”  
She rolled her eyes playfully but waved back at him before walking towards the glass door of the pub ㇐ she looked back briefly to glance at Wolfgang but he was already deep into a conversation with Felix, an impassive look on his face.

 

* * *

 

Weeks passed and they soon forget about the events of that afternoon; Felix and Kala had slowly started building a friendship, both recognizing each other’s meaningful presence in Wolfgang’s life, and he still enjoyed to tease her about what he had seen at the pub.

Kala, on the other hand, tried her best to forget and ignore everything, including the worry that Wolfgang might have been hiding something from her.

On New Year’s Eve, Wolfgang had decided to hold a small party at his apartment and everyone had liked the idea, especially Aditya who had looked forward to go to his house for the first time.  
“Look Mama!” He had enthusiastically told Kala while he dragged her into Wolfgang’s kitchen by the hem of her dress.  
“What darling?”  
“My drawing!” he had pointed at a piece of paper that hanged on the fridge, held by a magnet, “Father Wolf and Mowgli!”  
Kala’s eyes had teared up as she stared at the drawing, the memory of the day Aditya had given it to Wolfgang clear in her mind; he had gulped nervously, suddenly overwhelmed by emotions, and had hugged his small body tightly against his.  
To see it there, the only sentimental thing in his house, the only thing he had decided to share with the world, had made her heart swell up with love and happiness; and the feeling had been increased by the joy in Aditya’s eyes.

 

* * *

 

 

Organizing the perfect birthday party for a soon-to-be six year old had been harder than Wolfgang had expected; he had tried to help Kala as much as he could, he had taken care of the balloons and the cake, but she had wanted to do much of the work, worried that something could wrong if it wasn’t under her control ー so he had simply stood there for most of the time, observing all the things she did and offered his support when needed.

“I didn’t know cakes for children parties were so expensive.” Felix commented while he rang the doorbell, behind him Wolfgang was trying to balance the cake,a big helium balloon (a red 6) and the plastic bag containing Aditya’s gift in his hands.  
“You could have helped me with the balloon, at least.” He snorted as he waited for Kala to open the door.  
Felix stared at his friend’s busy hands, shrugged and said, “You’re managing just fine Wolfie.”

“You’re finally here!” She said brusquely as she opened the door.  
“Nice to see you too babe.” Wolfgang quickly kissed her cheek before entering the apartment with Felix.  
“Wow! The house looks amazing, Kala.” Felix exclaimed and looked around; the entrance was filled with red and blue helium balloons, spider-man colors, and so was the living room.  
With the help of Daniela and Hernando, she had moved the sofa out of the room to make space for a large table already covered with an Avengers tablecloth; behind the table there was a big superheroes poster hanging on the wall and it was all enriched with a balloon arch that followed the party’s theme, made with lots of love and effort by Kala herself the day before ー after hours spent watching an embarrassing number of YouTube tutorials.

“Thank you. I just need to put the various snacks on the table and I’m done. Well, almost done. I still have to get myself ready and also Aditya, who still hasn’t showered.” She started ranting fastly, surprising Felix but not Wolfgang.  
He put the cake in the fridge and his gift in her room before grabbing her shoulders and looking directly into her eyes, “Go get ready. I’ll take care of the snacks with Felix.”  
Too tired to refuse, she walked towards Aditya’s room.

“I still haven’t met the kid and here I am, helping with his birthday party.” Felix said minutes after as he opened a bag of chips and put them on a plastic plate.  
“Very honorable of you.” Wolfgang teased him and did the same; they had managed to fill the entire table with sweets and salted snacks, all the food children adored.  
“Will he call me Uncle Felix? I don’t think I’m ready for such an important role you know.”  
He rolled his eyes, deciding not to even answer that as he shook his head.

“WOLFIE!” An excited voice distracted them making them turn around to look at where it had come from.  
“Hey, Adi.” He smiled broadly at child and opened his arms to welcome him into a loving hug, “Happy birthday, buddy.”  
Aditya tightened his arms around his neck, a sweet grin on his face; it was such a genuine display of affection from both of them that Felix couldn’t seem to take his eyes away from the scene, clearly surprised at seeing his best friend in this new light.

“Look,” Aditya told him and pointed at his red sneakers with a black stylized spider in the center, “Mama bought me these Spider-Man shoes! They’re soooo cool.”  
Wolfgang knew he had wanted these popular shoes, he had actually accompanied Kala to buy them, and was delighted to see his joy.  
“So cool, Adi.” He said with a nod and looked at his whole outfit; he was wearing brand new black jeans and a blue shirt, his hair had been perfectly combed and Wolfgang wondered how long would it last before Aditya started playing around, ruining his perfect appearance.

“Mama told me to sit on a chair until everyone arrives, she says I can’t get my clothes dirty.” Aditya pouted, hoping that would convince Wolfgang to let him do what he wanted and break his mother’s rules.  
“Of course she did,” he said affectionately, “and she’s right Adi.”  
That wasn’t the reply he was expecting and he crossed his arms, offended.

Wolfgang, amused by his dramatic behavior, let out a small snort before pointing at Felix, “I want to introduce you to someone, Adi.”  
“Who is that?” The boy asked curiously.  
“His name is Felix, he’s my friend.”  
Felix grinned and crouched down to be at his eye-level, “Nice to meet you Aditya.”  
“Hi.” He simply said, he was uncharacteristically and suddenly shy, he grabbed Wolfgang’s hand and tugged it to catch his attention.  
“I’m still your friend too Wolfie?” He whispered.  
Wolfgang affectionately pinched his cheek, “Yes, Adi. You’re my best friend,” he said and added playfully, smirking at him, “but don’t tell Felix or you will hurt his feelings.”  
“Hey!” Felix exclaimed, making Adiya laugh.

“Why don’t you go to your room and take your sketchbook? You can show your drawings to Felix.” Wolfgang told him, trying to find a way to make him sit and be still until the guests arrived. He knew Kala would kill him if Aditya ruined his clothes or tousled his hair.

When Aditya left to do as he was told, Felix turned to look at his best friend, a small teasing smirk set on his face.  
“Can’t believe I’m saying this but...it suits you. The whole Father thing.”  
“Shut up, Felix.” He replied with his perfect annoyed voice, while he tried to stop his mouth from curving into a pleased smile.

 

* * *

 

“Have I said how good you look?” Wolfgang murmured in her ear from behind as she looked at the children playing in the living room.  
“Yes but I always like to hear it.” Kala intertwined their fingers, leaned against his chest and smiled when he kissed her temple.

The party was a success; while the adults chattered amicably, the children were having fun playing around the house and Aditya seemed to enjoy it greatly, his delighted giggles warming Kala’s and Wolfgang’s hearts.

“Aditya asked for the hundredth when he can open his gifts.” Daniela told them and took a sip of her orange juice.  
Kala sighed deeply, shaking her head, “I already told him we will do it after we sing Happy Birthday.”  
Her friend shrugged, merely telling her she just repeated Aditya’s question.  
“Can’t we sing Happy Birthday now?”  
“Now? But the party is not even halfway through!”  
“Is there a rule for these kind of things?” Wolfgang frowned.  
“No but -”  
“Kala, if we sing it now he can open his gifts, and he will stop whining.” He tried to reason with her, surprised that such thing was even a problem, and she exhaled.  
“Fine. But he totally has you wrapped under his little finger, Wolfgang Bogdanow.” She kissed him chastely and walked towards the center of the room.

Kala clapped her hands to catch everyone’s attention and said loudly, “If you could all gather around the table, please, so we can sing Happy Birthday to Aditya.”  
The boy mentioned was the first one to run towards the table, yelling at his friends to follow him, and stood up on a chair behind the beautiful cake Wolfgang had bought for him.  
Soon, everyone approached them, everyone except Felix.

“Have you seen Felix?” Wolfgang asked Kala but she shook her head, and Daniela answered in her place.  
“I saw him going outside, he was talking on the phone.”  
He immediately looked towards the apartment’s door, frowning worryingly out of the sudden.  
“Is everything alright?” Kala asked him and took his hand in hers, he just nodded ー the look in his eyes betraying no emotion or thought.  
Before she could say anything else, Hernando and Will started singing the traditional Happy Birthday song and everything was soon forgotten, her attention completely focusing on her son and his happiness.

Aditya laughed freely and clapped his hands as all his friends showered him with love, when his his eyes met Kala’s, she blew him a kiss, causing him to blush in front of everyone.  
He closed his eyes tightly to make a wish before lowering his head to blow out the candles, his enthusiastic grin still intact on his face.

“Photos!” Hernando exclaimed and took his telephone with one hand while he gestured towards Kala with the other, “Mother first!”  
She chuckled softly at her friend’s enthusiasm, almost comparable with Aditya’s, and approached her son; she hugged him from the side as he put his arms around her neck.  
They smiled for the camera and she kissed him loudly on his cheek while she tickled him, making him giggle.  
She immediately looked at Wolfgang after the photo had been taken and noticed he was gazing at them as he always did, in the same meaningful way that told her everything he wasn’t able to communicate with words ー letting his loving and tender eyes speak for him.

“Come here.” Kala told him and reached out an arm, inviting him to take part of the family photo with her and her son.  
He hesitated at first but then Aditya called out his name and he knew he couldn’t refuse; albeit slightly embarrassed, he stood next to him and put his arm around his waist like Kala had been doing.  
The three of them smiled brightly, their smiles turning into laughs when Aditya tightened his arms around their necks, making them bump their heads right when Hernando took the picture.

He gave them his phone so they could look at the photo; the special moment had been perfectly captured in a spontaneous, sincere shot that showed the love and happiness that united them, and Kala knew the photo would soon find a place on one of her shelves.

Aditya had to take photos with all his guests before he could open his gifts so he tried to do it quickly, rushing everyone and chiding those who took too much time preparing for one simple photo.  
His authoritative behavior reminded Wolfgang of Kala and, not for the first time, he stared at the child, wondering at all the little details that made them so similar.

Kala and Daniela brought all the gifts Aditya had received from her bedroom to the living room and piled them up right in front of the table.  
“Wolfgang Bogdanow,” Kala approached him with a serious look on her face, “Why on earth is your gift so heavy?”  
He shrugged innocently and smirked, “It’s not a puppy.”  
“I swear, if you bought him that very expensive gift he wanted-” She wasn’t able to finish her threat because Aditya’s excited scream was too loud to be ignored.  
“GIFTS!” He exclaimed and hurried to them, the photos he still had to take were completely forgotten.

“Adi, take your time and be careful not to tear them up.” Kala advised him but he was already done opening his first gift: a t-shirt and a pair of gloves. He thanked his schoolmate Samuel and his mom for it with a polite, forced smile before quickly giving it to Kala and forgetting about it; the whole scene making Wolfgang snort in amusement.

After, he opened the gifts he had received from Will and Riley, Hernando and Lito, Daya, Daniela ー and he loved them all since they were the toys he had specifically told them to buy.  
He didn’t know which one of the wrapped boxes was Wolfgang’s, the one he wanted to open the most, so he simply tore open every single one hoping he would find it.

When he finally did, he screamed loudly and started jumping up and down with the huge box of legos in his hands, Kala thought his cheeks would hurt in the next days from the gigantic smile that appeared on his face.  
Aditya ran towards Wolfgang and hugged him tightly, thanking him over and over again.  
Wolfgang rubbed his back fondly and caressed his hair before ending the hug, smiling at him he said, “You’re very welcome, Adi. You deserve it.”

Aditya’s smile turned from joyful to coy when he showed his gift to his mother.  
“I just told him I liked it!”  
“Sure, Aditya.” Kala shook her head disapprovingly but didn’t chide him, he was so happy about it that she simply stuck out her tongue at him playfully.  
He still had some gifts to unwrap, not that he particularly cared for them after he had gotten the one he truly wanted, but he still went back to the table to finish what he had started.

“I can’t believe you bought it to him Wolfgang! It costs 90 euros!” Kala whispered to him harshly.  
“75 euros actually, it was on sale,” Wolfgang replied non-chanantly, “and I did it because I knew how much he wanted it, look how happy he is.”  
“He is but children can also be happy without expensive toys, you don’t have to spoil them to show your affection.”  
“It’s not spoiling when it’s his birthday, Kala.” He said matter-of-factly and she just sighed, touching his cheek softly.  
“You will soon see the error of your ways my love.” Kala teased him, shaking her head dramatically and patting his head condescendingly.  
He smirked and rolled his eyes as he stood up from the chair, “I’m going to smoke.”

 

 

  
Kala had been so busy helping Aditya with all his gifts and making polite small talk with his friends’ parents that she only noticed Wolfgang’s absence when her son pointed it out.  
He wanted to open the box of Legos with him but he couldn’t find him anywhere, so he asked his mother for help.

She looked for him in all the rooms of the house until she decided to finally check outside the apartment, but she didn’t find him on the stairway either. She was about to close the door again when she heard his voice, and Felix’s, arguing about something; by his tone she knew it was something serious and important, perhaps something she could help with, she thought, and she quietly walked down the building’s stairs.

“There’s no reason to be nervous about this, Felix.” She heard Wolfgang reassure his friend. She could only see his tensed shoulders and his straight back, but she didn’t need to look at his face to know it was as impassive as ever.  
Felix, on the other hand, was visibly shaken and kept running his fingers through his messy hair.

“I don’t think you quite understand the seriousness of the situation! First, Steiner comes to the pub and threaten me to blow it up with us inside it, and now Sergei?!” He exclaimed loudly, “These people are not fucking around Wolfgang!”

Kala’s eyes widened at his concerned words, her mind already considering every single scenario to find an explication to what she was hearing.

“Keep your voice down,” Wolfgang snarled at him, “I know how they work, how they think. We still have time to give back the diamonds before they come for us.”  
“Give them the fucking diamonds then!”  
“I will. I’m going to fix this shit!”  
“Do it quickly Wolfgang, you know better than myself that nothing will stop them from putting a bullet in your head. Not even the fact you share the same fucking blood.”

She quickly covered her mouth to stop her loud surprised gasp, she could feel her hands tremble as she realized and understood the truth; someone wanted to kill Wolfgang, and that someone was part of his family.  
That new information shook her to the core, she wasn’t used to hearing about such kind of violence, a million thoughts swarmed her head at the same time and she closed her eyes, trying to calm herself.  
She didn’t want nor need to listen to more of their conversation, so she went back to the apartment just as quietly as she had left it.

 

* * *

 

  
“There you are,” Wolfgang said softly while he closed the bedroom door behind him, “I helped Adi with his new toys and I didn’t see you there.”  
Kala was sitting on the bed, her head on her hands, and didn’t look at him.  
“What’s wrong?” He approached her immediately, cleared worried that something bad might have happened, and sat beside her.  
She didn’t answer immediately, too scared to find out the whole truth.  
“Who are Sergei and Steiner?” She asked him with a quivering, hesitant whisper.

Wolfgang seemed to stop breathing for various seconds, his body instinctively distanced itself from hers as he pondered the most adequate answer. He was clearly surprised by her question but tried not to let her see that.  
“I heard you talking with Felix about them and a certain bullet they want to shoot in your head.”  
He took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose, “Sergei is my uncle and Steiner is his son. I haven’t considered them my family in a long time.”  
“I don’t know what happened between all of you but normal families usually don’t threaten each other.” She said while she twiddled nervously the hem of her skirt, her voice was higher than usual and she avoided his eyes.

His jaw clenched, his voice got lower and accepted it was the moment to tell her the whole truth, “They’re mobsters, Kala.”  
He said it so calmly, almost as if it were the most normal thing in the world, that her reaction was to stood up immediately and put some distance between them.  
“What on earth are you talking about?”  
“I should have told you sooner, I know that and I’m sor-”  
“Just explain it to me now.” Her voice was firm but he could hear the slight tremble in it.

“They’re Bogdanows, my Grandfather built a criminal empire before I was even born and my entire family has been part of it, including my father.”  
“Including you?” She murmured, knowing his answer already but afraid to actually hear the words coming out of his mouth.  
“Including me.” He answered with a sigh, “But I’ve always wanted to get out all of it. Always. That’s why I opened the pub with Felix.”  
“Is that why they want to kill you?”  
“No. My cousin had his eyes on some blackmarket diamonds and I stole them, sold half of them. Now he wants me to get them back.”  
Kala walked even further away from him, she tucked a strand of hair under her ear and took a deep breath, every single word he said hurt her more and slowly teared apart the world of pure happiness they had been living in.

“Please, tell me you stole these diamonds before we started dating.” She pleaded and he stood up, trying to reach her.  
“Kala -”  
“Wolfgang please.”  
His eyes lowered, fixing on the clean floor under his feet.  
“I stole them three days after we had lunch together for the first time.”

A powerful mix of different emotions hit her like a strong punch in her stomach; she felt betrayed and lied to, as if he had been playing with her since the very beginning, but most of all she felt an overwhelming sense of fear.  
“I need you to be honest with me right now, Wolfgang. Look at me in the eyes and tell me I haven’t put my son into a position where he could get hurt because of your mistakes.”

He tried to take her hands but she pushed him away.  
“I won’t let them get near you or Aditya, I promise you that.”  
“But they will, am I right? They will try to hurt us to get to you!” Her hands were visibly trembling then, her voice sounding more like a shrill.  
“Kala-”  
“AM I RIGHT?!”  
“Yes.”

She thought his admission might calm her somehow, instead it only enraged her more.  
“And still, you let me introduce you to him, knowing the danger.”  
“I didn’t know they wanted them back then! You know I would never purposely do something like that!” It was his turn to raise his voice, offended that she was actually accusing him of such thing. Offended that she thought he would risk Aditya’s safety.

“You should have told me! You should have told me you’re a criminal!”  
Her cheeks and her neck were flushed with anger as she hit her chest, blinded by rage and motherly fear.  
“I was trying to put it all behind, Kala! All of it!”  
“And you thought stealing diamonds was the right way to do that?”  
“No. But I planned it for months, from before we even had sex for the first time. It was always supposed to be my last hit.” He took her face into his hands to look directly into her teary eyes, “I know you don’t believe me but you and Aditya were only one more reason to leave that world, I never wanted you to be part of it.”

His voice was so sincere and full of desperation, the deep blue eyes she loved so much were staring right deep into her soul, begging her to believe him.  
“I might believe you Wolfgang but this do not change the facts.” She took his cold hands off her face and let the tears finally fall down on her cheeks.  
The only sounds they could hear in that moment of silence were the muffled voices and giggles of the children playing outside the bedroom walls; it almost seemed as if they were in another world, another dimension, where laughter was only a distant memory.

“My son is now in danger because of his connection to you and there is only one way to solve this.” She hugged herself to find the courage she needed to break their hearts, she knew she had to this, she was sure this was a sacrifice she had to make for her son’s safety.  
“Kala.” He murmured, already frightened of her next words.  
“You need to leave our lives.” Kala whispered in between sobs, her chin quivering and she could swear she felt her heart shattering in a million pieces. She couldn’t believe she was doing that, and she was so terribly tempted to take back what she had just said, but a loud voice in her brain reassured this was the most logical thing to do in order to protect her family.

“You don’t mean that.” Wolfgang tried to reassure himself despite the intense pain running through his body. He needed to hear her say something else, anything that could ease the nausea he felt.  
“I do. Get out of the house and get out of our lives, please.” She couldn’t even bear to look at him in the eyes and that only increased his desperate anguish.  
“Don’t do this, Kala. Please, don’t do this.” He repeated, his voice sounding just as broken as hers as he tried so hard to control himself.  
“Wolfg-”  
“You know I would never let them hurt Aditya, you know how much I love him!”  
“Wolfgang.”  
“Please, Kala. Please.” Wolfgang had always considered himself a prideful man, begging had never been in his nature but in that moment, he would have gotten on his knees if that prevented him from losing them.  
She stood closer to him, her hand lovingly caressing his face while she bit her lower lip.  
“If you love him, and me, as much as you’ve proved me all this months then you should leave right now.”

He nodded, a single tear fell down his cheek and he closed his eyes when she softly dried it with her thumb, enjoying her soft touch after so much anger.  
“Alright.” He simply said and he took her hand; his lips brushed gently against her cheek as he murmured “I love you.” one last time, she said it back and that only twisted the sharp knife in his chest painfully instead of causing the contentment he always felt when she did.

And just like that, in less than forty minutes, their entire lives shattered right in front of their eyes while they stared at it helplessly, accepting the pain of their broken hearts out of the love they felt for their son.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the necessary angst! I hope you liked it anyway!


End file.
